Iran on Thursday accused Saudi Arabia of waging airstrikes on the Iranian Embassy in Yemen’s capital in the latest signs of deepening tensions between the regional powers.

The claim, carried on Iranian state-run media, could not be independently verified.

It comes amid growing diplomatic confrontations between Shiite power Iran and Saudi Arabia and its Sunni allies that threatens to widen sectarian rifts around the region.

“Saudi Arabia is responsible for the damage to the embassy building and the injury to some of its staff,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari was quoted as saying by state television news channel IRIB.

In Yemen, a Saudi-led military coalition has battled rebel factions that Saudi Arabia claims are aided by Iran. Officials in Iran deny direct links to the rebels, but have strongly denounced the Saudi-directed airstrikes and other attacks in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic ties with Iran this week after Iranian mobs attacked Saudi diplomatic compounds. The protests were in response to Saudi Arabia’s execution of a prominent Shiite cleric on Saturday.

This story will be updated.


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