Yemen's Houthis fire missile at Riyadh: Reports

By Ahmed al-Masri and Mohamed al-Samei

SANAA

Yemen's Shia Houthi rebel group on Tuesday fired a "ballistic missile" at Saudi capital Riyadh, according to the Houthi-run Al-Masira television channel.

The missile reportedly targeted Riyadh's Yamama Royal Palace, which houses the office of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

"The missile targeted a large meeting of Saudi regime officials that was being held at the palace," the broadcaster reported.

But while Al-Masira said the missile had "found its target", a Saudi-led Arab coalition -- which has been fighting the Houthis since 2015 -- said the missile was intercepted before it could cause any damage.

“At 01:39 p.m. [local time], coalition air defenses observed a ballistic missile fired towards the kingdom from Yemeni territory,” the official Saudi Press Agency quoted coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki as saying.

“The missile, which was indiscriminately fired at civilian and populated areas of Riyadh, was intercepted south of the city by Patriot anti-missile batteries without causing any damage or loss of life,” al-Maliki added.

The spokesman went on to condemn the "hostile and indiscriminate act by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia”.

It was the second missile to be fired at Riyadh from Yemeni territory within the last two months.

On Nov. 4, the Saudi-led coalition announced it had successfully intercepted a Houthi missile fired at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry, for its part, has slammed accusations by U.S. officials that Tehran was supplying the Houthis with advanced missile systems, describing the claims as “baseless and provocative”.