Saudi Arabia-led coalition forces in Yemen on Tuesday said they had intercepted a ballistic missile Houthi rebels fired at Riyadh. There was a loud explosion over Riyadh when the Saudi Arabian missile defence system intercepted the missile, Al Arabiya reported.
Mohammad Abdulsalam, a spokesperson for the Houthi militants who control Yemeni Capital Sana’a, told The Guardian that the missile was launched towards al-Yamama Palace, the official residence of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman.
The news comes on the 1,000th day of the conflict in Yemen. There were no casualties or injuries, but shrapnel from the explosion was found in various neighbourhoods of the Saudi Capital.
“This aggressive and arbitrary act by the armed Houthi group proves the continued involvement of the Iranian regime in supporting the Houthis, with the aim of threatening the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Saudi coalition Spokesperson Turki Al-Malki said. “The control of Iranian-made ballistic weapons by terrorist organisations is a threat to regional and international security, and the targeting of populated cities is contrary to international humanitarian law.”
The Saudi-led coalition is fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen. Airstrikes by the coalition have killed at least 136 civilians since December 6, United Nations Human Rights Spokesperson Rupert Colville said.
On December 4, Houthi rebels killed former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, after he announced that he was dissolving his partnership with the militias.
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