Saudis intercept Yemen rebel missile targeting royal palace
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Shiite rebels said it intercepted a missile fired over southern Riyadh on Tuesday, which the rebels said was targeting a "top leadership" meeting at the royal palace in the kingdom's capital, Riyadh.
It was the second time in as many months that a rebel projectile had reached as far inside the kingdom as Riyadh.
The Yemeni rebels, known as the Houthis, said they launched a ballistic missile to target Yamama Palace in Riyadh, where King Salman chairs weekly government meetings and receives dignitaries and heads of state from around the world.
The coalition statement, carried by Saudi state TV, said the missile was fired by the rebels, known as Houthis. State TV said no damage was caused by the intercepted missile. The coalition later said the missile launch proved the "continued involvement" of Iran in supporting the Houthis." It also repeated its claim that the rebels use "relief work outlets" to smuggle such missiles inside Yemen to target the kingdom.
Residents of Riyadh posted videos on social media showing a small cloud of smoke in the sky after hearing a loud explosion.
Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdul-Salam tweeted that a ballistic "Volcano H-2" missile was used in the attack. The rebels' military media said the missile targeted "an expanded meeting of the Saudi top leadership at Yamama palace in Riyadh."
