New footage shows the moment when Iranian-backed Houthi rebels bombed a Saudi ship

Al Arabia via Youtube

New footage from Al Arabia settles a dispute over what exactly hit a Saudi Arabian navy ship and killed two sailors last week.

Iranian media first reported on the attack, which was carried out by Houthi rebels who receive support from Tehran.

Iranian media reports said that an anti-ship missile hit the Saudi vessel and released questionable footage along with it.

Later, a statement from the Saudis said the attack had been carried out with suicide boats. Now that the Saudi ship has returned to port, the footage, confirmed by Saudi sources, seems to show prove Riyadh's narrative.

The attack caps off a 2016 that saw a major uptick in Iranian provocations towards the US and its allies. The Houthi rebels managed to strike an Emirati ship with an anti-ship missile in October. Later, the Houthis tried to hit a US ship, but the ship intercepted the missile and retaliated by destroying the Houthi-controlled radar sites. 

Saudi Arabia leads a military coalition of Gulf states, that includes the United Arab Emirates, involved in bombing Houthi rebels in Yemen. While the Saudis support the internationally recognized government of Yemen, they stand accused of war crimes in the massive air campaign there for potentially bombing civilian targets.

Watch the footage below:

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