Saudi Arabia intercepted a “hostile target” over Riyadh on Saturday, saidstate media in the kingdom which has come under repeated attack fromYemen’s Houthis since 2015.
An explosion was heard in the Saudi capital at around 11:00 am (0800 GMT),AFP correspondents reported.
“I heard a loud sound and thought that something had fallen from the sky,”said one resident, who lives in the Al-Sulaimaniyah district of Riyadh.
“The whole house was shaking.”
The Saudi-led coalition, which backs Yemen’s internationally recognisedgovernment against the Houthis, said it had “intercepted and destroyed ahostile air target going towards Riyadh”, without elaborating, according tostate-run Al Ekhbariya television station.
Riyadh’s King Khaled International Airport said there were a number offlight delays, but it was not immediately clear if they were linked toSaturday’s incident.
Saudi Arabia has been repeatedly targeted by the Huthis since itsintervention in the Yemen war in 2015.
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It is rare, however, for drones and missiles launched by the Houthis toreach the kingdom’s capital — about 700 kilometres (435 miles) from theYemeni border.
Houthis have yet to comment on the incident, which comes only days afterJoe Biden was sworn-in as US president, replacing Donald Trump.
According to the new US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, the Bidenadministration will quickly revisit the designation of Yemen’s Houths asterrorists.
At his confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Blinken said he would “immediately”review the Trump administration’s labelling of the insurgents, fearing themove was worsening a humanitarian crisis. – APP/AFP
