RIYADH: The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said early on Wednesday that it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by Yemen's Houthis towards the western Saudi city of Taif, as cross-border hostilities between the kingdom and the Iran-aligned group have intensified.
Saudi Civil Defense issued early warning alerts for a potential hostile threat in Jeddah and Yanbu governorates, before saying minutes later that the danger had passed in both areas.
Earlier on Tuesday evening debris from two intercepted ballistic missiles damaged a building, a construction project and a vehicle in Riyadh on Tuesday, according to Saudi Civil Defense.
A spokesperson said the missiles were launched by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia and destroyed before the debris fell in the Saudi capital. Civil Defense crews responded to the incident and followed established procedures. The spokesperson did not say whether anyone was injured.
Air defenses intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles aimed at the Kingdom’s Eastern Province also on Tuesday. They also shot down four drones targeting southern Saudi Arabia, the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen’s spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki said.
Civil Defense issued warnings for the Eastern Province and Al-Kharj around 3 a.m. local time before giving the all-clear.
The attacks came after senior regional officials gathered in Iran for talks aimed at reducing tensions on Monday. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have attacked Saudi Arabia since announcing a blockade on Saudi oil exports through the Red Sea.
(With agencies)