RIYADH – Saudi air defences intercepted two missiles over Riyadh on Sundaythat had been fired from rebel-held territory in neighbouring Yemen, statemedia reported, after multiple explosions were heard in the city.
Debris from the missiles scattered over residential areas of the capitalwithout causing casualties, a Riyadh-led military coalition fighting theHuthi rebels said in a statement released by the official Saudi PressAgency.
An AFP journalist heard at least four loud explosions in the Saudi capital,which has been targeted by Huthi missiles in the past, while residentsreported bright flashes in the sky.
Metal shrapnel littered a street in Riyadh s diplomatic quarter, home tomost embassies, a diplomatic source told AFP. The area has been cordonedoff by security officials, the source added.
The Iran-backed rebels news outlet Al-Masirah said missiles had struck theSaudi defence ministry and other sites in the capital.
Turki al-Maliki, a coalition spokesman, denied that the ministry had beenhit.
The insurgents, who have ramped up missile attacks against Saudi Arabia inrecent months, regularly claim successful strikes.
The kingdom usually says it has intercepted the missiles.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other allies intervened in Yemen in March 2015 topush back the rebels and restore the internationally recognised governmentto power after the Huthis ousted it from swathes of the country includingthe capital Sanaa.
The rebels have in recent months ramped up missile attacks againstneighbouring Saudi Arabia.
Saudi forces have previously shot down Huthi missiles with Patriotsurface-to-air missiles purchased from the United States.
The latest strikes come as Yemeni pro-government forces are locked in heavybattles with Huthi rebels as they press an offensive backed by Saudi Arabiaand the United Arab Emirates to retake the key aid hub of Hodeida.
Saudi Arabia last month tested a new siren system for Riyadh and theoil-rich Eastern Province, in a sign of the growing threat posed by therebels arms.
Riyadh accuses its regional rival Tehran of supplying the Huthis withballistic missiles, a charge Iran denies.
The latest attack came as Saudi women celebrated taking the wheel for thefirst time in decades after the kingdom overturned the world s only ban onfemale motorists. – APP/AFP