RIYADH – Saudi Arabia shot down a ballistic missile fired by Yemen s Huthirebels on Wednesday, with shrapnel leaving 26 people wounded, a Riyadh-ledcoalition fighting the insurgents said.

Two children were among the wounded from the missile that was interceptedover the southern Saudi city of Najran, said a coalition statementpublished by the Saudi state media.

The Iran-backed Huthis have in recent months ramped up missile attacksagainst Saudi Arabia, which Riyadh usually says it intercepts.

The Huthis Al-Masirah TV said Wednesday s strike was targeted at a SaudiNational Guard camp in the border city.

The attack brings the tally to more than 185 rebel missiles launched since2015, according to the coalition, which that year joined the Yemenigovernment s fight against Huthi rebels.

In 2014, the Huthis overran the Yemeni capital and seized control of muchof northern Yemen as well as a string of ports on the Red Sea.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and their allies intervened in theconflict the following March, aiming to push back the Huthis and restorethe internationally recognised government to power.

Riyadh accuses its regional rival Tehran of supplying the Huthis withballistic missiles, a charge Iran denies.

Wednesday s attack comes on the eve of United Nations-sponsored peace talksin Geneva, the first public meetings between the government of AbedrabboMansour Hadi and Huthi rebels since 2016.

But both the government and the rebels have said they expect nobreakthrough at the talks, which appear likely to be delayed.

While representatives of the Yemeni government arrived in Geneva Wednesday,the rebels remained stranded in Sanaa, amid claims the Saudi-led coalitionbacking Hadi was preventing them from leaving for the talks.

The war in the impoverished country has left nearly 10,000 people dead andunleashed what the UN describes as the world s worst humanitarian crisis. -APP/AFP