Houthi rebels launch missiles against US ship and Saudi base

Houthi rebels launched two missiles from Yemeni territory against an American destroyer, the USS Mason, but didn't cause any injuries or damage, the US Navy said, adding that there was uncertainty as to the exact target of the missiles.

The launch came two days after an airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition on a funeral ceremony in Sanaa left 155 people dead.

The UN condemned the attack and the White House said it was "deeply disturbed" by news of the attack, warning that security cooperation with Saudi Arabia shouldn't be considered a "blank check".

The funeral ceremony was for an important tribal patriarch, and was attended by various members of the Sciite Houthi rebels, who are allied with troops still loyal to ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and at war with the recognised international government led by President Abd Rabbo Mansur Hadi, which is supported by Riyadh.

The Saudi Arabian government said it would conduct an investigation into the attack, which was one of the bloodiest since the beginning of Riyadh's military intervention in the internal Yemeni crisis.

Saudi Arabian media on Monday spoke of another missile fired by Yemen with the apparent target being an airbase near



Mecca.

The attack is the rebels' deepest thus far into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

British and US forces have participated in the Saudi-led coalition's military intervention, with access to the airstrike control center and the list of targets.

London has sold arms to Riyadh totaling more than 3.7 million pounds, The Guardian reported.

Last week the US Senate rejected a bill to block arms sales to Riyadh for 1.5 billion dollars - a deal underway despite tensions between Washington and the Saudi monarchy following the nuclear deal with Iran, its Sciite rival for control of the region, as well as Washington's reluctance to intervene more decisively in Syria against President Bashar al-Assad.

Controversy is underway in Italy as well, over a recent trip to Riyadh by Italian Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti and over the terms of military collaboration with the Saudis.

According to figures released in August by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and reported by The Guardian, the Saudi intervention in Yemen - the poorest country in the Arab world - has killed 3,800 civilians so far, while 7.6 million people are suffering from malnutrition and more than three million have been displaced.