David B. RIVKIN JR, Nawaf OBAID
In early November, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s defense forces intercepted a Burkan-2 ballistic missile targeted at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. Yemen’s Houthi-controlled defense ministry has taken the credit for the launch—but given the extent of the Iranian sway over the Houthi military, the real responsibility for the attack lies with Tehran. Since the airport is a civilian installation and, as such, under international humanitarian law, cannot be attacked, the Iranian missile strike is also a war crime.
The missile attack against the Saudi capital is a major escalatory move, reflecting both the vigor of Tehran’s ambitions to dominate the Gulf and its current boldness in directly challenging the key American ally in the region. All of this underscores the importance of resisting Iranian regional ambitions, the task that requires strong American leadership and well-coordinated and bold actions by the Saudi-led Arab coalition. With this mind, it is all the more the imperative to unify the Arab coalition, which, in turn, requires the resolution of the ongoing situation with Qatar.
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