Saudi Arabia’s King Salman called American President Donald Trump on Wednesday to discuss an incident in which a ballistic missile fired from Yemen was intercepted over the Saudi capital of Riyadh earlier this week, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
According to SPA, President Trump condemned the missile launch, which he called a “blatant attack” on Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and pledged to help Saudi Arabia confront any security threats.
Additionally, the two leaders discussed measures to implement UN Security Council resolutions to hold Iran accountable for allegedly helping Yemen’s Houthi rebels procure missiles.
The Tuesday incident took place as King Salman was scheduled to unveil the Saudi budget at Yamamah Palace, his official residence.
In a statement, the US Pentagon said they were working with their counterparts in Saudi Arabia to “fully understand” the incident.
Both Saudi Arabia and the US have accused Iran of supplying weapons to the Houthis, and officials in Iran described the latest missile as being “Iranian-Houthi”.
Last week, US United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley presented what she said was “undeniable” evidence that a previous a missile used in a November attack – which targeted Riyadh’s airport – was “made in Iran”.
A separate UN investigation found that the missile had “common origin” to Iranian designs.
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