Yemen rebels target Saudi desalination plant: coalition

In yet another major provocation, a desalination plant in the southwestern Saudi province of Jizan was targeted by Iran-backed Houthi militia. Confirming the attack, Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said in a statement on state-run Saudi Press Agency that the projectile struck near the plant in the Al-Shuqaiq area of Jizan late Wednesday.

The statement reported no casualties or damage adding that security forces were working to determine the type of projectile used. Late Wednesday, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Huthi rebels said they fired a missile at a power station in Jizan province. The White House said yesterday that President Donald Trump had been briefed about reports of a missile strike on Saudi Arabia, without offering details.

“The president has been briefed on the reports of a missile strike in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement. “We are closely monitoring the situation and continuing to consult with our partners and allies.” Arab parliamentarians gathered in Cairo on Wednesday urged the United Nations to list Yemen’s Houthi movement as a “terrorist organisation” while accusing it of attacks on Saudi Arabia.

The body made up of representatives from the parliaments in the pan-Arab bloc accused the Huthis of “regularly targeting civilian and vital infrastructure in Saudi with ballistic missiles or drones”.