Attacks on civilians in Saudi Arabia are a red line, the spokesman for the Saudi-led Coalition told Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Thursday after an increase in attacks against the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia has been the target of dozens of Houthi attacks in recent weeks, with the rebels using ballistic missiles or drones to target Saudi Arabia's most populous towns and cities.
"Targeting civilian facilities is a red line. We won't allow this to happen," Col Al Maliki said.
The Saudi official said the rebels were not capable of creating their own ballistic missiles and drones and said Iran was behind the attacks on the kingdom.
"Iran is know for smuggling weapons to the rebels. It has spread destruction and threatened the security of the region and has intentionally targeted civilians," Col Al Maliki said.
He accused Tehran of supporting an organised crime network that smuggled 16 shipments of arms to the rebels.
In recent weeks, the coalition intercepted drones and missiles fired by the terrorist militias and "destroyed 118 ballistic missiles that targeted Saudi Arabia", he said.
The Saudi-led Coalition launched a new military operation against Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Wednesday, days after the first reports of missiles fired at Riyadh in several weeks.
The new push comes after the coalition announced a unilateral ceasefire in early April after calls from the UN to halve all global conflicts to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
The Houthis ignored the move and carried on fighting but the regular rocket fire towards Saudi targets appeared to stop.
"The coalition started a military operation against legitimate targets belonging to the Houthi terrorist militia," the state-run Saudi Press Agency announced on Twitter.
"The operation aims to neutralise and destroy the rebels' military capabilities in response to the threats it posed."
After several weeks, Saudi Arabia said it intercepted missiles and drones launched by the Iran-backed rebels at targets in the capital of Riyadh last week.
This was the first such reported attack on targets within the kingdom by the Houthis since the Coalition ceasefire.
Inside Yemen, the Houthis have used the pandemic as a recruiting tool, trying to take advantage of pupils from closed schools and those unable to work because of the virus.
On Wednesday night, the Security Council finally backed the March 23 call by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for a global truce to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
The council adopted a resolution after months of talks for a compromise between the US and China over the language of the resolution.
Drafted by France and Tunisia, the resolution calls for "all parties to armed conflicts to engage immediately in a durable humanitarian pause for at least 90 consecutive days" to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Yemen was on the list of conflicts as UN officials have warned as many as 16 million people in the country may get the virus and the already shattered health system will be unable to cope.
The coalition intervened in Yemen at the request of the government after the Houthis took control of the capital Sanaa in late 2014.
This week, the coalition announced it had intercepted a shipment of Iranian weapons, destined for the Houthi rebels, off the Yemen coast.
Saudi representatives of the coalition revealed details of the shipment in a conference in which they displayed footage and images of the operation.
They said the vessel was intercepted 12 days ago.
This week calls intensified for the UN to renew a 13-year arms embargo, due to expire in October, on Iran.
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Chelsea 2 Burnley 3
Chelsea Morata (69'), Luiz (88')
Burnley Vokes (24', 43'), Ward (39')
Red cards Cahill, Fabregas (Chelsea)
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes.
The trip
From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes.
Where to stay
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.
MATCH INFO
Iceland 0 England 1 (Sterling pen 90 1)
Man of the match Kari Arnason (Iceland)
UAE Premiership
Results
Dubai Exiles 24-28 Jebel Ali Dragons
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 43-27 Dubai Hurricanes
Final
Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons, Friday, March 29, 5pm at The Sevens, Dubai
UAE rugby season
FIXTURES
West Asia Premiership
Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Knights Eagles
Dubai Tigers v Bahrain
Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Division 1
Dubai Sharks v Dubai Hurricanes II
Al Ain Amblers v Dubai Knights Eagles II
Dubai Tigers II v Abu Dhabi Saracens
Jebel Ali Dragons II v Abu Dhabi Harlequins II
Sharjah Wanderers v Dubai Exiles II
LAST SEASON
West Asia Premiership
Winners – Bahrain
Runners-up – Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership
Winners – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners-up – Jebel Ali Dragons
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners – Dubai Hurricanes
Runners-up – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Conference
Winners – Dubai Tigers
Runners-up – Al Ain Amblers
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier
UAE results
Beat China by 16 runs
Lost to Thailand by 10 wickets
Beat Nepal by five runs
Beat Hong Kong by eight wickets
Beat Malaysia by 34 runs
Standings (P, W, l, NR, points)
1. Thailand 5 4 0 1 9
2. UAE 5 4 1 0 8
3. Nepal 5 2 1 2 6
4. Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5
5. Malaysia 5 1 4 0 2
6. China 5 0 5 0 0
Final
Thailand v UAE, Monday, 7am
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
The years Ramadan fell in May
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Brief scoreline:
Wolves 3
Neves 28', Doherty 37', Jota 45' 2
Arsenal 1
Papastathopoulos 80'
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
Januzaj's club record
Manchester United 50 appearances, 5 goals
Borussia Dortmund (loan) 6 appearances, 0 goals
Sunderland (loan) 25 appearances, 0 goals
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Kamindu Mendis bio
Full name: Pasqual Handi Kamindu Dilanka Mendis
Born: September 30, 1998
Age: 20 years and 26 days
Nationality: Sri Lankan
Major teams Sri Lanka's Under 19 team
Batting style: Left-hander
Bowling style: Right-arm off-spin and slow left-arm orthodox (that's right!)
'Shakuntala Devi'
Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra
Director: Anu Menon
Rating: Three out of five stars
