The U.S.-made Patriot missile defense system has shot down more than 100 missiles fired from Yemen at Gulf Arab states since 2015, Defense News revealed Wednesday.
The missiles were likely fired by Yemeni Houthi rebels over the last two years at Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in retaliation for the Gulf states’ support of an ongoing air campaign.
(Photo: Raytheon)
President Donald Trump has praised the missile system in recent days after a high-profile intercept over Saudi Arabia’s capital city of Riyadh. Riyadh was targeted by a Houthi missile, which U.S. officials believe bore “Iranian markings.” Iran is known to support the Houthi movement in Yemen, which adheres to a Shiite interpretation of Islam.
“Our system knocked the missile out of the air. That’s how good we are. Nobody makes what we make, and now we’re selling it all over the world,” Trump triumphantly declared Nov. 4, adding, “a shot was just taken by Iran, in my opinion, at Saudi Arabia.”
Raytheon International Chief Executive John Harris told reporters Monday that the demand for the company’s missile defense systems has increased recently. “There is [a growth market in Europe] as a direct result of the threat dynamic that our customers are seeing. They want to have the ability to protect their sovereignty,” he said.
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