Saudi Arabia says it intercepts missile above Riyadh

Saudi Arabia’s air defence forces intercepted a missile above the capital Riyadh, Saudi-owned broadcaster Al Arabiya said today after several loud booms were heard in the city centre.

In recent months, the Houthi armed movement in neighbouring Yemen, where Saudi Arabia is participating in a three-year-old military campaign, have targeted Riyadh several times with missiles.

The conflict in Yemen pits the Iran-allied Houthis and supporters of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh against President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who is supported by an alliance of Arab states led by Saudi Arabia.

A Saudi-led coalition began a military campaign in Yemen in March 2015 with the aim of preventing Houthi rebels and Saleh supporters from taking control of the country.

The Houthis and Saleh’s General People’s Congress (GPC) hold most of Yemen’s northern half, while forces loyal to Hadi share control of the rest of the country with local tribes.

Read: Saudi-led air strike kills top Houthi official in Yemen