On the evening of 4 November, Saudi Arabian air defence forces intercepted a ballistic missile close to Riyadh airport. Minor damage was caused, but fortunately there were no casualties. The German Government nonetheless condemns this attempted attack on a civilian target in the strongest possible terms. An act of this type cannot be justified in any way.
At the same time, this incident shows once again how urgently a political settlement is needed in the Yemen conflict. We are very concerned to see that the ongoing fighting and attacks on civilian targets frequently claim many lives.
The German Government thus continues to expressly support the endeavours by Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, and calls on all parties to adopt an immediate ceasefire and to conduct negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations. The Yemen conflict can only be resolved by diplomatic means.