Saudi Arabia’s crown prince has accused Iran of “direct military aggression” by supplying missiles to Houthi rebels in Yemen, raising the stakes in an already tense standoff between the two regional rivals.

Mohammed bin Salman linked Tehran to the launch of a ballistic missile fired from Yemen towards the international airport in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Saturday. The missile was intercepted and destroyed. Iran has denied the accusations as baseless and provocative. Saudis and their Sunni Arab allies view Yemen’s Houthi rebels – who belong to the Zaydi sect of Shia Islam – as Iranian proxies and have accused Tehran of giving them military backing.

“The involvement of the Iranian regime in supplying its Houthi militias with missiles is considered a direct military aggression by the Iranian regime,” the Saudi prince said on Tuesday during a phone conversation with the UK foreign secretary, Boris Johnson. He added that the move “may be considered an act of war against the kingdom”.(theguardian)…[+]