Saudi Arabia on Saturday said it was intercepting a rocket attack on its capital and bombed drones targeting a southern province, the latest in a series of airstrikes blaming Yemeni rebels Houthis.
The Saudi-led military coalition that fought in Yemen’s long-running war has announced that the Iranian-allied rebels have launched a ballistic missile to Riyadh and some drunken drones to the province of Jizan. No injuries or damage were initially reported. There were no immediate comments from the Houthi’s.
The attack comes amid rising tensions in the Middle East, a day after a mysterious explosion hit a ship in Israel that was in the Gulf of Oman. 2019 which the US Navy blamed Iran.
The state-run Al-Ekhbariya TV has posted a video of explosions in the air over Riyadh. Social media users have also posted videos, with some showing residents screaming as they watch the fiery explosion, which is apparently the kingdom’s Patriot rocket batteries intercepting the ballistic missile.
As the war in Yemen continued, Houthi rocket and drone strikes on the kingdom became increasingly common and rarely damaged. Riyadh was targeted in sporadic rocket attacks at the time, while the Saudi-led coalition received widespread international criticism for airstrikes in Yemen that killed hundreds of civilians and hit non-military targets, including schools, hospitals and wedding parties.
The U.S. embassy in Riyadh has issued a warning to Americans, urging them to “remain vigilant in the event of additional future attacks.”
The Houthis have owned the capital of Yemen and the north of the country, where the majority of the population lives, since September 2014. Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a war against them in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government of Yemen.