Qatar denounces attempt to target Saudi capital

ANKARA

Qatar on Monday strongly condemned a weekend aerial attack on Saudi Arabia’s capital city of Riyadh.

Qatar considers the attempted airstrike "a dangerous act against civilians which contradicts all international norms and laws," the Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The statement reiterated Qatar's firm position of rejecting violence, terrorism and criminal acts regardless of the motives and reasons.

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Saturday that it shot down an apparent missile or drone over Riyadh.

The coalition did not provide further details, but Saudi media said the target was a missile fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen.

There was no comment from the Houthi group on the report.

The Iran-aligned rebels have repeatedly announced rocket and drone attacks on Saudi territories in response to what they say is a Saudi-led assault on Yemen.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sana’a. The crisis escalated in 2015 when the Saudi-led coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the conflict in Yemen has so far claimed the lives of 233,000 people.