Saudi Arabia says it has intercepted a rocket attack on its capital launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, as well as bomb-laden drones targeting southern Jizan province.
DUBAI, UAE – Saudi Arabia said on Saturday it had intercepted a rocket attack on its capital and bomb-laden drones targeting a southern province, the latest in a series of airstrikes it has blamed on Yemeni rebel Houthis .
The Saudi-led military coalition, which has been fighting in the war over the years in Yemen, has announced that Houtis allied with Iran have launched a ballistic missile into Riyadh and three drones captured by tits to Jizan province, with a fourth to another. southwestern city and other drones being monitored. No casualties or damage were initially reported. There were no immediate comments from the Houthis.
The attack comes amid rising tensions in the Middle East, a day after a mysterious explosion hit an Israeli-owned ship in the Gulf of Oman. The blast has raised concerns about the safety of ships on strategic waterways, which saw a series of suspected Iranian attacks on oil tankers in 2019.
Al-Ekhbariya state television broadcast images of what appeared to be explosions over Riyadh. Social media users also posted videos, some showing residents screaming as they watched the blast explode through the night sky, which appeared to be the kingdom’s Patriot missile batteries intercepting ballistic missiles.
Col. Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, said the Houthis were “systematically and deliberately trying to target civilians.”
The US embassy in Riyadh issued a warning to the Americans, asking them to “remain alert in case of further attacks”. Flight tracking sites showed a series of flights scheduled to land at Riyadh International Airport diverted or delayed in the hour after the attack.
A civil defense spokesman, Mohammed al-Hammadi, later said the scattered debris had caused material damage to a house, although no one was injured, the Saudi state news agency reported.
As the war in Yemen continued, Houthi rocket and drone attacks on the kingdom became commonplace, rarely causing damage. Earlier this month, the Houthis hit an empty passenger plane at Abha Airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia with a drone loaded with bombs, causing it to fire.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition has faced widespread international criticism for airstrikes in Yemen, which have killed hundreds of civilians and hit non-military targets, including schools, hospitals and wedding parties. President Joe Biden announced this month that US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, including “relevant” arms sales, has ceased. He stressed, however, that the United States will continue to help Saudi Arabia defend itself against external attacks.
The Houthis overran the capital of Yemen and much of the north of the country in 2014, forcing the government into exile and months later forcing Saudi Arabia and its allies to launch a bombing campaign.
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Associated Press writer Samy Magdy of Cairo contributed to this report.