Missiles used by Houthi rebels to attack Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia were of Iranian origin, the United Nations has said.
The kingdom and the UAE capital have suffered a number of rocket attacks by Houthi drones in recent years.
Speaking at a Security Council briefing late on Thursday, Rosemary A DiCarlo, the UN’s Under Secretary General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, said a fact-finding mission had examined debris from nine ballistic missiles, six cruise missiles and several drones.
The weapons analysed were used in various attacks by the Houthis on Saudi Arabian and UAE territories since 2020 and were alleged to have been transferred in a manner inconsistent with UN resolution 2231, which endorses the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a preventive agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Ms DiCarlo said the examinations were conducted during visits to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, after invitations from their respective authorities.
“We also assessed these missiles and/or parts thereof to be of Iranian origin,” she said.
The inspection team, she added, was unable to determine when the ballistic missiles or their parts may have been transported from Iran, particularly whether such transfers took place after 16 January, 2016, when the restrictive measures set out in resolution 2231 came into force.
Read more: What ballistic missiles do the Houthis have and how do they get them?
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Missiles on display at a Houthi exhibition. The terrorist group has claimed responsibility for a spate of attempted attacks on the UAE leading to global condemnation. Reuters -
A Houthi fighter fires an anti-tank missile in an August offensive near the south-west Saudi region of Najran along the Yemeni border. AFP -
A Houthi ballistic missile aimed at Saudi Arabia. The kingdom thwarted a bid by Houthi militias to target civilians and civilian sites in the city of Khamis Mushait. Reuters -
A file picture of the Quds cruise missile launch from an unidentified location in Yemen. Reuters -
Missiles and drone aircraft are on display at a Houthi exhibition in Yemen. Reuters
