Saudi troops intercept Scud fired from Yemen

ARAB NEWS
JEDDAH: Saudi troops shot down a Scud missile fired into the kingdom before dawn Saturday from Yemen, the coalition command said.
Troops used a Patriot missile battery to intercept the missile at 2:45 a.m. Saturday (2345 GMT) over Abha province, said the command in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
No casualties were reported in the attack, which followed a ground offensive by Yemeni militants targeting the Saudi border,
“At 02:45 am on Saturday, the militias of the Houthis and ousted Ali Abdullah Saleh fired a Scud missile toward the city of Khamis Mushayt. Thanks to Allah, it was intercepted by the Royal Saudi Defense Forces by two Patriot missiles,” the statement said.
It added that coalition air forces destroyed the rocket launcher whose location was identified south of Sa'ada.
Saudis on social media reported hearing air raid sirens go off around the city during the attack.
Saudi Arabia leads a coalition targeting Houthi and other rebels in airstrikes that began March 26 in support of the country’s exiled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Those strikes have targeted arms cache and other Scud missile sites around the country.
The Houthis began their advance in September, sweeping into the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and taking over government ministries and other areas. They held top officials, including Hadi, under house arrest until Hadi fled, first to the southern port city of Aden, then to Saudi Arabia as the rebels closed in backed by forces loyal to Saleh.
On Friday, the Houthis and Saleh’s forces launched a ground offensive targeting the Saudi border, which saw the kingdom fire artillery and launch Apache attack helicopters, said an the SPA report. It said “scores” of rebel forces being killed in a battle that lasted from dawn to noon Friday, with four Saudi soldiers killed in the fighting.
The Saudis and Western powers accuse the Houthis of receiving military support from Shiite power Iran, which is being accused of trying to dominate the Middle East. Tehran and the rebels deny the allegations, though Iran has acknowledged sending humanitarian aid to the Houthis.

(Additional input from AP)