DUBAI: Royal Saudi Air Defense forces intercepted a ballistic missile on Friday over the southern province of Najran, bordering Yemen.
The foiled attack took place shortly after Houthi affiliated news channel Al-Masirah TV published a statement stating that the militias had fired a missile at Saudi Arabia.
“This hostile act by the Iran-backed Houthis proves the Iranian regime remains implicated in supporting the armed Houthis,” spokesman of the Arab Coalition, Col. Turki Al-Malki said.
Debris at the scene. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Maliki said Friday’s attack “deliberately targeted densely populated civilian areas.”
The scattered fragments of the missile caused minor damage to private property of one citizen, however there was no loss of life, Saudi Arabia’s state news agency SPA reported.
Meanwhile last year, the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen intensified their attempts on Saudi Arabia, targeting several civilian areas in the kingdom.
Last month, Houthi militias fired a ballistic missile at Riyadh, this time targeting Al-Yamamah Royal Palace in the Saudi capital.
While in Nov. the militias launched a missile targeting King Khalid International Airport. Saudi air defense intercepted the missile and shot it down without causing any damage.
A UN Security Council-appointed panel confirmed the missile was manufactured in Iran, along with three other missiles fired from Yemen toward the Kingdom in 2017.
Houthi aggression towards Saudi Arabia caused a global outcray with a number of countries and organizations condemning the launch of ballistic missiles targeting the kingdom.