UAE official says fight against Yemeni Houthis "necessary" after missile attack

DUBAI, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- A senior official of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday said that the Saudi-led coalition military campaign against the Houthi rebels was necessary.

Minister of state for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash tweeted that "with every Iranian missile launched by the Houthi militia against civilian targets, it becomes clear that the storm is necessary."

Earlier in the day, Yemen's Houthi movement announced firing of a ballistic missile towards the kingdom's royal palace in the capital Riyadh, Houthi-controlled Saba news agency reported.

A senior Houthi military official said that the ballistic missile, Burkan H2, was fired towards the Saudi royal palace of Ymamah in Riyadh, while Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Turki Al Maliki said it targeted a residential area in southern Riyadh.

The spokesperson added that the missile was intercepted before causing injuries or damages.

Saudi Arabia accused Iran of trafficking missiles to Yemen, indicating that the missile intercepted 25 km away from Riyadh was made in Iran, Al Ekhbariyal local news channel reported.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia have been fighting the Shiite Houthi rebels in a pan-Arab coalition since March 2015 in order to restore Yemen's President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who was ousted by Houthis in September 2014. Enditem