Iran: Saudi Airstrike Hit Our Embassy in Yemen, Wounding Several

Saudis Deny Carrying Out Any Strikes Near Embassy

According to Iranian officials, a Saudi airstrike late Wednesday saw a rocket hitting the embassy compound, doing some damage to the building and injuring several personnel, mostly guards by all indication.

Locals reported an explosion near the embassy, but couldn’t confirm if it was an airstrike or not. The damage is still unclear, as the road leading to the embassy has been closed since the incident. Iran has threatened to pursue legal action internationally over the incident.

As with most Saudi airstrikes that don’t hit a target they intended to hit, the Saudis offered a blanket denial that the incident even happened, claiming it was a lie and that no airstrikes took place anywhere near the embassy. Despite this, reports are that strikes all across Sanaa were heavy Wednesday.

Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia are already soaring after the Saudi execution of a top Shi’ite cleric over the weekend. Iranian protesters burned the Saudi embassy in Tehran in response. The Saudis are unlikely to have viewed this strike as retaliation however, and the more likely explanation is that, as with the Saudi airstrike earlier this week against a blind care center, it was just a random target, one of many.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.