Saudi Arabia intercepts missiles launched by Houthi rebels

The Yemeni rebel-controlled news agency Saba reported that the insurgent group fired four ballistic missiles at the Aramco refinery. (Representational image: Reuters)

Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Tuesday said that they had launched four ballistic missiles towards a town located in southern Saudi Arabia, and Saudi media reported that those projectiles were successfully intercepted. The Yemeni rebel-controlled news agency Saba reported that the insurgent group fired four ballistic missiles at the Aramco refinery and a petrochemical factory in the port city of Jizan, near Saudi Arabia’s border with Yemen, using Badr-1 projectiles, Efe reported.

For its part, the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV channel reported that the Saudi air defenses intercepted two missiles launched by the Houthi rebels, without giving further details on their target. The Houthis often announce ballistic missile attacks on Saudi territory, including facilities of the oil giant Aramco as well as other official and public targets, and even have claimed attacks on Riyadh.

In Saudi towns bordering Yemen, the impact of these projectiles has caused material damage and fatalities in recent years. A Saudi-led military coalition comprising Sunni Arab countries has intervened in Yemen since March 2015 to fight against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is currently living in exile in Saudi Arabia.