The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's steps to defend itself against rockets and projectiles launched by Houthi Militias enjoyed an international support where a number of Arab, Islamic and friendly countries have expressed their stand by the Kingdom in these steps and stressed that targeting of cities and civilians by Houthis in control of Yemeni capital of Sanaa directly gives the Kingdom a right to respond to any threat with all possible means. In October 2016, Houthi militias targeted Makkah region with a ballistic missile, but it was intercepted and destroyed by the Saudi Air Defense Forces 65 kilometers away from Makkah, Muslims most holliest site, without any damage. According to sources, about 700 Saudi and expatriate civilians martyred or wounded, including 80 martyrs in the southern cities of the Kingdom, out of them 20 children and nine women were among the martyrs, particularly in Najran and Jizan regions due to projectiles targeting houses, schools, and public facilities. The Houthi and ousted Saleh militias fired more than 40,000 projectiles across the border since beginning of the war. The United States of America and the United Kingdom have expressed their support for the Kingdom's right to defend itself and its territory against the rocket attacks launched by the Houthi militias with all possible means. The US Department of State announced that the Iranian weapons in Yemen are not a threat just to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but also to the whole region, stressing the US keenness on the Kingdom's security. During many occasions, Washington stressed that the threat posed by the missile shipments into Yemen from Iran is not a threat just to Saudi Arabia and the region, but a threat to the United States and it cannot continue. For its part, the United Kingdom stressed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has the right to defend its territories and protect the civilians against the Houthi militias' attacks. In recent press statements, the British Defense Secretary confirmed that the UK stance is clear where the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has the right to defend itself against the attacks, stressing that Saudi Arabia, which leads the coalition, has the right to discuss a settlement restoring legitimacy for the acknowledged-government in Yemen. UK Prime Minister Theresa May said that the war led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is legitimate due to the United Nations (UN) support for the military intervention to restore legitimacy in Yemen. During her reply to a UK representative, the UK Prime Minister was keen to remind the parliament's members that the security of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region is important for the United Kingdom because a cooperation among the UK and GCC states, particularly the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has contributed to foil a number of terrorist plans in Britain. Adel bin Ahmad Al-Jubeir, Minister of Foreign Affairs, has confirmed that the Kingdom reserves the right to defend itself against any attack, in a reference to the Houthi and Saleh militias' attacks against the Saudi borders. Al-Jubeir has reiterated that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia supports a peaceful solution in Yemen based on the Houthi commitment to implement a cessation of hostilities against the international law and in accordance with UN Resolution 2216. The Houthi militias have conducted military maneuvers in Saada on the Saudi borders before launching operation of "Determination Storm". During these maneuvers, the militias used various types of medium and heavy weapons which considered a blatant threat to the Kingdom, the regional security, and the international navigation in the Arabian Sea and the strait of the Bab Al-Mandab.
