The Government of Maldives has ‘in the strongest terms’ condemned the recent attacks targeting Saudi Arabia, by Yemen’s Al Houthi rebels.

President Abdulla Yameen, on Thursday, sent a message to King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, noting that the news of the ballistic missile attacks targeting capital Riyadh and the south, had ‘shocked and angered’ him.

Noting that the Maldives ‘firm solidarity with Saudi Arabia’ to restore regional peace and stability, President Yameen also reassured the country’s commitment ‘to working closely with the Government of Saudi Arabia and the international community in eliminating the global threat of terrorism’.

Saudi Arabia’s air defence forces intercepted three ballistic missiles fired at Riyadh and other cities on Wednesday- three rockets were shot down above the capital and southern cities of Jizan and Najran, according to the state media.

Al Masirah, a TV network run by the Houthis, have claimed responsibility for the attack, via Twitter, saying the rebels fired ‘a Burkan 2-H, a Scud-type missile’ towards the Saudi defence ministry.

Concerned by the rise of Houthi rebels in the region, Saudi Arabia and a coalition of Arab states launched a campaign against the rebels.

While over 10,000 people are reported to have been killed since, with over 40,000 wounded, the Houthi’s claim that their missile attacks on the kingdom are ‘in retaliation for air raids on Yemen by the Western-backed coalition’.