Saudi Arabia acknowledges scale of Houthi missile attacks
Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki says the strikes have gone beyond expectations and Riyadh is doing all it can to defend itself.
The ballistic missile attacks carried out by the Houthi group against Saudi military and economic targets in recent days have gone beyond expectations, and Riyadh is doing everything it can to defend itself, the spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, Turki al-Maliki, acknowledged at a press briefing on 15 October.
Al-Maliki said the Houthis are advancing in many parts of Yemen, noting that the group now controls close to 70 per cent of Yemeni territory.
Several regional states are working through the group to advance their own interests, he said, adding that the Houthis are equipped with sophisticated modern weaponry and are targeting major Saudi cities with cruise and ballistic missiles.
He said the Saudi-led coalition has so far put more than 120 military targets positioned in mountainous areas out of action.
For its part, the Houthi group has warned that unless coalition bombardment of its forces stops, it will destroy the facilities of the energy company Aramco one by one.