Saudi Arabia intercepts ballistic missiles

Saudi air defence forces say they have shot down three ballistic missiles over Riyadh, the fourth time in five months missiles have flown over the capital.

The Kingdom Tower, operated by Kingdom Holding Co., centre, stands on the skyline above the King Fahd highway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom Tower, operated by Kingdom Holding Co., centre, stands on the skyline above the King Fahd highway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Source: Getty

Saudi Arabia's air defence forces have intercepted three ballistic missiles fired at Riyadh and other cities by Yemen's Houthis who have stepped up attacks recently, threatening to escalate a rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Three rockets were shot down above the capital and the southern cities of Jizan and Najran, according to state media and the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen.

The Houthis claimed to have targeted the defence ministry in Riyadh and a Saudi Aramco distribution facility in Najran.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The attacks mark the fourth time in five months that missiles have flown over Riyadh, as the Houthis step up efforts to demonstrate they can reach the Saudi capital.

Last month, one man was killed in Riyadh by debris after the military shot down a flurry of missiles, the first casualty of the Yemen war in the Saudi capital.

Wednesday's missiles followed the downing of two Houthi drones earlier in the day in Jizan and the nearby Saudi city of Abha, the coalition said. The Houthis said they were targeting an Aramco facility in Jizan, but the company said its facilities there were operating "normally and safely".

The company is building a 400,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Jizan, part of a new economic city on the Red Sea, which is expected to become fully operational in 2019.

Aramco was not immediately available to comment on the missiles.

The Houthis say their missile attacks on the kingdom are in retaliation for air raids on Yemen by the Western-backed coalition.

Their news agency SABA said four people were killed, including a woman and a child, and 10 others wounded in two air strikes on Wednesday in the Razih district of western Saada province. There was no immediate comment from the coalition.


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Source: AAP



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