27 April 2018•Update: 27 April 2018
By Mohamed Fahd
RIYADH
Saudi air defenses on Friday intercepted a “ballistic missile” fired towards the kingdom’s southern Jazan region, according to Saudi television channel Al-Ekhbariya.
“Air defenses intercepted a missile fired towards Jazan by Yemen’s Houthi militia group,” the broadcaster reported without giving further details.
According to official Saudi figures, the kingdom has intercepted and destroyed a total of 22 missiles fired from Yemeni territory within the past month alone.
Impoverished Yemen has been wracked by violence since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.
The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies -- who accuse the Shia Houthis of serving as Iranian proxies -- launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.
