Saudi Arabia sounds aerial threat alerts as Iran executes alleged Mossad spy
Saudi Arabia issued emergency alerts across the kingdom late Friday and early Saturday, warning of a "hostile aerial threat", while Iran said on Saturday that it had executed a man convicted of spying for Israel's intelligence agency Mossad.
At least one explosion was heard in Riyadh during the alerts, though no casualties or damage were reported after they were lifted. Separately, the UN Security Council condemned missile attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels against Saudi Arabia and commercial vessels.
The alert in Riyadh was the first for the Saudi capital since the latest escalation involving the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. Saudi authorities did not say what prompted the alerts or what caused the explosions, but they had previously reported intercepting incoming Houthi missiles and drones.
Late Friday, the 15-member UN Security Council said the Houthis' military escalation, attacks and threats "risk further expanding the conflict, threatening maritime security and international trade" while undermining regional and international efforts to secure peace in Yemen. It also warned that continued escalation would worsen the already dire humanitarian situation in the country.
The council called for "practical cooperation" to prevent the Iran-backed Houthis from acquiring arms, military training, financing and other military-related assistance needed to carry out their attacks. It also stressed that all countries must enforce the UN arms embargo against the rebel group.
In Iran, state television reported that a man identified as Hossein Pedram was executed after being convicted of spying for Mossad. The report said Pedram had passed classified information on "sensitive military sites" in Iran's Isfahan province to Israel, but did not say how he had accessed the information.
According to the report, Pedram was arrested after those sites, including missile bases, were targeted in the 12-day air war by the US and Israel against Iran in June last year. A recent surge in executions in Iran has prompted international outcry from human rights groups.
In summary, Saudi Arabia sounded emergency alerts over a reported aerial threat, the UN Security Council criticised Houthi attacks and called for tighter enforcement of the arms embargo, and Iran announced the execution of a man convicted of spying for Israel.
