Yemen Insurgents Launch Missile Toward Mecca – Saudi Arabia

In the midst of Yemen’s stalemate civil war, Shiite rebels in the country launched a ballistic missile in the direction of the holy Muslim city of Mecca overnight, Saudi Arabia said on Friday. It was the rebel’s deepest attack yet into the kingdom.

Mecca is home to the cube-shaped Kaaba that the world’s Muslims pray toward five times a day. According to Rebel media in Yemen, the missile targeted an international airport in Jeddah. However, Saudi Arabia countered that the projectile was intercepted and destroyed 65 kilometers (40 miles) from Mecca.

The missile attack drew the immediate rage of Saudi citizens. For them, the security of Mecca is a fundamental pillar of the Saudi royal family’s stature and the country’s national identity. Further, the missile strike shows the capability of Yemen’s Shiite rebels, or Houthis, and their allies to persist in attacking Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi military said the missile caused no damage. It was fired Thursday night from Yemen’s northwestern Saada province neighboring the kingdom. The Saudi military has a stock of U.S.-made surface-to-air Patriot missile batteries it previously has fired at Houthi-launched missiles.

The military said in a statement transmitted by the state-run Saudi Press Agency that it immediately sent airstrikes that targeted the area where the missile was fired.

The Houthis are backed by forces loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. They have a supply of Soviet-era Scud missiles and locally designed variants.

‘Direct hit’ on airport

A published bulletin was circulated by the Houthi-controlled satellite news channel Al-Masirah. It said its forces had launched a Volcano-1 variant missile at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport, without citing Mecca. That airport is located 75 kilometers (45 miles) northwest of Mecca.

The Houthi-controlled SABA news agency stated that the missile “directly hit” the airport and produced substantial destruction. But there were no immediate diversions or delays involving the airport Friday.

Earlier this month, a Houthi ballistic missile targeted Taif. This is where Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd Air Base is located, which also is close to Mecca.

Yemen is on the southern periphery of the Arabian Peninsula. It has been in the midst of a civil war since September 2014 when the Iranian-backed Houthis seized the capital of Sanaa. The then deposed the country’s internationally recognized government.

A Saudi-led alliance of Arab countries began a military campaign against the Houthi forces in March 2015. They claim that part of their mission is to counterbalance Iran’s influence after its nuclear agreement with world powers.

U.S. backs down amidst mounting civilian casualties

At the outset, the Saudi-led campaign had the intelligence and logistical backing of the U.S. However, escalating civilian fatalities from its airstrikes forced America to back off. Earlier this month some 140 people died and over 600 were wounded in a Saudi attack on a funeral in Sanaa.

The U.S. also launched Tomahawk missiles at mobile Houthi radar sites. The US’ response was executed following reports that its warships came under fire in the Red Sea near the crucial Bab al-Mandeb strait.

 

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Yemen Insurgents Launch Missile Toward Mecca – Saudi Arabia

In the midst of Yemen’s stalemate civil war, Shiite rebels in the country launched a ballistic missile in the direction of the holy Muslim city of Mecca overnight, Saudi Arabia said on Friday. It was the rebel’s deepest attack yet into the kingdom.

Mecca is home to the cube-shaped Kaaba that the world’s Muslims pray toward five times a day. According to Rebel media in Yemen, the missile targeted an international airport in Jeddah. However, Saudi Arabia countered that the projectile was intercepted and destroyed 65 kilometers (40 miles) from Mecca.

The missile attack drew the immediate rage of Saudi citizens. For them, the security of Mecca is a fundamental pillar of the Saudi royal family’s stature and the country’s national identity. Further, the missile strike shows the capability of Yemen’s Shiite rebels, or Houthis, and their allies to persist in attacking Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi military said the missile caused no damage. It was fired Thursday night from Yemen’s northwestern Saada province neighboring the kingdom. The Saudi military has a stock of U.S.-made surface-to-air Patriot missile batteries it previously has fired at Houthi-launched missiles.

The military said in a statement transmitted by the state-run Saudi Press Agency that it immediately sent airstrikes that targeted the area where the missile was fired.

The Houthis are backed by forces loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. They have a supply of Soviet-era Scud missiles and locally designed variants.

‘Direct hit’ on airport

A published bulletin was circulated by the Houthi-controlled satellite news channel Al-Masirah. It said its forces had launched a Volcano-1 variant missile at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport, without citing Mecca. That airport is located 75 kilometers (45 miles) northwest of Mecca.

The Houthi-controlled SABA news agency stated that the missile “directly hit” the airport and produced substantial destruction. But there were no immediate diversions or delays involving the airport Friday.

Earlier this month, a Houthi ballistic missile targeted Taif. This is where Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd Air Base is located, which also is close to Mecca.

Yemen is on the southern periphery of the Arabian Peninsula. It has been in the midst of a civil war since September 2014 when the Iranian-backed Houthis seized the capital of Sanaa. The then deposed the country’s internationally recognized government.

A Saudi-led alliance of Arab countries began a military campaign against the Houthi forces in March 2015. They claim that part of their mission is to counterbalance Iran’s influence after its nuclear agreement with world powers.

U.S. backs down amidst mounting civilian casualties

At the outset, the Saudi-led campaign had the intelligence and logistical backing of the U.S. However, escalating civilian fatalities from its airstrikes forced America to back off. Earlier this month some 140 people died and over 600 were wounded in a Saudi attack on a funeral in Sanaa.

The U.S. also launched Tomahawk missiles at mobile Houthi radar sites. The US’ response was executed following reports that its warships came under fire in the Red Sea near the crucial Bab al-Mandeb strait.

 

The post Yemen Insurgents Launch Missile Toward Mecca – Saudi Arabia appeared first on Newsline.

Japan to Speed Up Missile Defense Upgrades

JAPAN – Three government sources said that Japan may fast track about $1 billion of planned expenditure to improve its ballistic missile defenses. This decision is in the heels of missile tests indicating North Korea is close to deploying a more potent medium-range missile.

The disbursements include money to evaluate a new missile defense layer. This will either be Lockheed Martin’s Aegis Ashore or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. Aegis Ashore is a land-based variety of the ballistic missile defense system utilized by vessels in the Sea of Japan.

The sources familiar with the proposal said it covers funds to upgrade the range and accuracy of PAC-3 Patriot batteries. The sources requested no to be named since they are not allowed to speak with the media.

However, the same sources noted that the rollout of Aegis Ashore or THAAD could still take years. Further, the companies involved in production of Patriot missile batteries, such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Raytheon, are unlikely to supply upgrades much quicker. Most probably, due to limited capacity to speed up already tight production schedules.

The Sankei newspaper reported earlier that up to 300 billion yen ($2.9 billion) of defense spending will be involved in a third auxiliary budget. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration has yet to acknowledge whether it will request legislators to endorse additional expenses before discussions begin on next year’s budget.

Pyongyang’s evident technological advancement on missiles has been sooner than expected. A senior Japanese military commander said earlier this month that this exposes Japan to a heightened threat.

North Korea fired a missile over Japan for the first time in 1998. Since then, Pyongyang and Tokyo have been wedged in an arms race.

Musudan ballistic missile renders SM-3 obsolete

North Korea has test-fired more than 21 ballistic missiles and managed two nuclear tests so far this year. On June 22, a medium-range Musudan missile achieved a height of 1,000 km (620 miles) on a lobbed arc. At this height, the missiles are beyond the range of SM-3 missiles deployed on Aegis destroyers at the Sea of Japan. The SM-3 missiles are designed to hit warheads at the edge of space.

That puts older PAC-3 Patriot missiles guarding major cities like Tokyo as a last line of defense. Their enhancement program will not provide the initial upgraded batteries until 2020, in time for the Tokyo Olympics.

Pyongyang’s Rodong missile has warheads that travel at speeds of up to 3 km (2 miles) per second. Meanwhile, payloads on rockets like the Musudan plummet from space at least twice as fast.

Japan plans to obtain a more formidable version of the SM-3 it is jointly developing with the United States. However, it is not known when the first will be deployed.

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