RIYADH: Saudi Arabia fended off missiles and drones on Tuesday as top regional officials met in Iran for talks to help ease tensions in the Middle East.
The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen said Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles aim toward the Kingdom’s Eastern Province.
In southern Saudi Arabia, air defenses knocked down four drones targeting the region, said Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki, the coalition’s spokesperson.
The Saudi Civil Defense issued warnings, around 3 a.m. Saudi time on Tuesday, for the Eastern Province and Al-Kharj before giving the all-clear.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been attacking the Kingdom after they announced a blockade on Saudi oil exports via the Red Sea.
Saudi Arabia has been supporting Yemeni forces as they fight to regain territory taken by the rebels, who aim to control transit along the Bab Al-Mandab strait.
Tehran, who supports the Houthis in their attempt to control Yemen, has been attacking ships in the Hormuz Strait after the US and Israel launched a war against Iran on Feb. 28.
The Houthis have previously attacked civilian and energy targets in the Kingdom, including a deadly strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid Airport that killed 13 travellers.
Earlier on Monday, Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at a meeting between representatives of the countries of the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement and Iranian officials in Tehran.
Iranian officials and those from the Makkah pact countries agreed to continue talks after Monday's initial meeting, according to reports in Iranian state media.
Pezeshkian affirmed Iran’s readiness “to take steps towards regional cooperation and the settlement of disputes.”
Yemen’s government said its forces on Monday launched 1,276 strikes on Houthi targets in 24 hours.
Col. Majed Al-Nuzaili said the strikes targeted command-and-control centers, defensive positions, reinforcements, supply and transport assets, and weapons and ammunition depots.
On the Taiz front, government troops backed by the Popular Resistance launched surprise attacks across several sectors, supported by concentrated airstrikes, Al-Nuzaili said. “The strikes helped suppress Houthi fire, hinder reinforcements and improve government forces’ positions on several hilltops and other strategic locations.”
The Houthis began fighting Yemeni government forces in a July offensive, attempting to take the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, a crucial maritime route for energy and goods.
Yemen’s government forces pushed back against the advance, but fierce fighting continues around Taiz.