Yemeni Houthi rebels have directly rebutted U.S. assertions that a missile launched into Saudi Arabia earlier this month was manufactured by Shiite ally Iran.
Col. Aziz Rashed, a spokesman for rebel-allied forces, said Sunday that the missile intercepted by the Saudis near the capital Riyadh on Nov. 4 was “Yemeni-produced.” The U.S. contends that the ballistic missile was Iranian-made and remnants of it bore “Iranian markings.”
Rashed added however that if the rebels could obtain “strategic weapons from any state, we would not hesitate one moment.”
A Saudi-led, U.S.-backed coalition allied with Yemen’s internationally recognized government has been at war with the rebels since March 2015. The Houthis control most of northern Yemen, including the capital, Sana'a.
The coalition tightened its blockade on Yemen after the missile was fired.
