On November 10, a panel appointed by the UN Security Council sent a confidential letter to diplomats, which states that it has seen no proof of Saudi Arabia's claims that Iran was responsible for the recent missile attack by the Yemeni Houthi rebels targeting Riyadh, the US-based investigative website The Intercept reported on Friday.
READ MORE: Russia Receives No Response to its Proposal to Mediate Saudi-Iran Talks
According to the members of the panel, the tightening of Yemen's blockade by the Saudi-led coalition and the invocation by Saudi Arabia of paragraph 14 of resolution 2216, which allows UN member states to take measures to prevent the transfer of military goods to Houthis, is allegedly an attempt to impede the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemeni civilians. However, Riyadh insists that the closure of all Yemeni ground, air and sea ports by the Saudi-led coalition forces is temporary and will not interfere with food deliveries to the country.
A U.N. panel of experts found Saudi Arabia is purposefully obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid into Yemen. https://t.co/SHJKGYpK1N
— The Intercept (@theintercept) November 17, 2017
Top US officials, including US President Donald Trump, have also blamed Iran for the Houthis' attack, with Envoy to the UN Nikky Haley calling for Tehran to be held accountable for a ballistic missile launched by Yemeni rebels targeting Saudi Arabia in July 2017, as it was allegedly an Iranian Qiam.
READ MORE: Ex-US Military Official: Fear of Rising Iran Likely Influenced Saudi’s Purge
Yemen has been engulfed in a violent conflict between the government and Houthi rebels backed by army units loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh since 2015, with a coalition backed by Saudi Arabia launching an aerial operation in the country at the request of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.