Riyadh denies bombing Iran's 'undamaged' Yemen embassy

Riyadh denies bombing Iran's 'undamaged' Yemen embassy
The Saudi-led coalition has denied bombing the Iranian embassy in Yemen following the break in diplomatic ties between the two countries.
1 min read
08 January, 2016
The Saudi-led coalition said Iran's allegations were false [Getty]
The Saudi-led coalition fighting rebels in Yemen on Thursday denied an accusation by Tehran that its air force had targeted the Iranian embassy there.

"The allegations are false and no operations were carried out around the embassy or near to it," a coalition statement said.

"The embassy building is safe and has not been damaged."

Earlier on Thursday, Iran said it would protest at the UN Security Council after it accused Saudi warplanes of deliberately bombing its diplomatic mission in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.

"During an air raid by Saudi Arabia against Sanaa, a rocket fell near our embassy and unfortunately one of our guards was seriously wounded," Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said, quoted by official news agency IRNA.

Read more: Tensions mount as Saudi Arabia 'bombs' Iran's Yemen embassy


The Iranian accusations come days after Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic ties with Iran in response to an arson attack on its own embassy in Tehran by protesters infuriated by Riyadh's execution of Sheikh Nimr, a prominent Shia cleric.

Coalition warplanes and troops have since March been supporting local forces in Yemen on the side of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi against Iran-backed Houthi rebels and their allies who have seized large parts of the country.