The Saudi Arabia-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen has said it intercepted a ballistic missile south of Riyadh on Tuesday, according to Saudi state television station Al Ekhbariya. The missile did not cause any damage.
A Houthi rebel spokesperson Mohammed AbdulSalam said on his Twitter account that the rebels fired the Burkan 2H ballistic missile, targeting the prestigious Yamama Palace hotel in the Saudi capital.
Al Masirah TV, a Houthi-controlled TV station, reported that a large meeting at the hotel was the target of the missile.
Last month, Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said it intercepted a Houthi missile over the Saudi capital. The Houthi-run Defense Ministry claimed responsibility for that attack.
Saudi Arabia has been leading a coalition of states against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who toppled Yemen’s internationally recognized government in 2015.
The missile launch on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was the first time the heart of the Saudi capital was attacked and represented a major escalation of the ongoing war in the region.
This is a developing story …