MOSCOW, December 21. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed ways to resolve the Yemeni crisis with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Kremlin press service said in a statement.
"The Saudi king voiced deep concern over the ballistic missile launch towards Riyadh conducted by militants from Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement on December 19," the statement reads.
"Vladimir Putin condemned such actions, highlighted the importance of a comprehensive investigation into this incident and called for resolving the Yemeni crisis peacefully, through a national dialogue," the Kremlin press service added.
On Tuesday, the Saudi missile defense forces intercepted a Burqan-2 missile that Yemen’s Houthi rebels had fired towards Riyadh. The missile was similar to the one launched on November 4. The rebels said in a statement that the al-Yamama royal palace was the actual target of the attack as it was hosting a broad meeting of Saudi officials. However, the missile launch caused no casualties.
The war between Yemen’s government and the Houthi rebels has been raging since August 2014. The conflict entered an active phase when the Saudi-led coalition invaded the country. Since March 26, Saudi Arabia, supported by the air forces of Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, has been conducting a military operation against the rebels. Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Sudan also joined the coalition.
According to the Yemeni Center for Rights and Development, since the spring of 2015, more than 10,000 civilians have been killed, including 2,400 children and around 2,000 women, while over 18,500 people suffered wounds.