RIYADH: A ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s armed Houthi group towardsSaudi Arabia’s southern Jizan region was shot down by Saudi forces onTuesday, Saudi state TV Ekhbariya reported.
The station gave no further details. There were no reports of casualties ordamage.
The Houthis have fired several missiles at the kingdom, and while thesehave not caused any serious damage they have served to deepen tensionsbetween Riyadh and its archrival Tehran.
Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of supplying missile parts and expertise to theHouthis, who have taken over the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and other parts ofthe country during its civil war. Iran denies the charge.
Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition that has been fighting the Houthis inneighbouring Yemen since March 2015, after the movement drove YemeniPresident Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi into exile.
Saudi Arabia said on Nov. 4 it had intercepted a ballistic missile overRiyadh’s King Khaled Airport, an attack that led the coalition to closeair, land and sea access to Yemen in a move it said was meant to stopIranian supplies to the Houthis.
The conflict has killed more than 10,000 people, displaced over two millionand brought much of the country to the brink of famine. – Agencies