Saudi Arabia intercepted two ballistic missiles launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen on Sunday, a Saudi-led coalition spokesman has confirmed. The missiles were taken down over Riyadh.
"Coalition air defenses spotted at 8:39 pm (local time) the launching of two ballistic missiles,” Colonel Turki al-Malki said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). He claimed the projectiles were launched by Houthi militias “from Saada city in Yemeni territory towards the Kingdom's territory."
Two missiles were "intended to hit residential districts" in the Saudi capital, but that they were "destroyed," which led to shrapnel "spreading over residential areas without inflicting casualties."
The Houthi-controlled Al-Masirah TV channel also boasted that “rockets” were fired at the Saudi capital, targeting the Defense Ministry and other locations.
The militias repeatedly targeted Riyadh and other locations in Saudi Arabia with ballistic missiles during the ongoing conflict, which followed the 2015 Saudi-led invasion of Yemen, seeking to reinstate ousted Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. One of the latest attacks on Riyadh occurred in March, when the Houthis targeted King Khalid International Airport in the capital. One person was killed and several were injured during the incident.
The three years of Saudi-led air and ground campaign, as well as tight naval and air blockade of Yemen, brought the country to the brink of full collapse. Some 22 million people, roughly 80 percent of Yemen’s population, depend on humanitarian aid, with over 8 million being in immediate danger of starvation, according to the UN.
READ MORE: Hundreds killed and thousands flee as Saudi-led forces bomb Yemeni port to ‘liberate’ it
Earlier in June, the Saudi-led coalition launched a large offensive for the major port of Hodeida, which remains the only gate for the humanitarian aid into the Houthi-controlled territory. The offensive on the densely-populated city raised concerns with humanitarian groups, namely the UN, which said that the attack on it may lead to the death of 250,000 civilians. A potential stop of the flow of humanitarian aid, in its turn, might take a toll on millions, it warned.
Like this story? Share it with a friend!