Yemen’s Houthi rebels reportedly fired a ballistic missile from Yemen, targeting Saudi Arabia’s capital city Riyadh. According to Middle East Monitor, a blast has been heard in the capital with a plume of smoke seen in the sky. As per initial reports, a volcano 2-H ballistic missile was fired towards Al-Yamama royal palace but there were no injuries as the missile was reportedly intercepted by Saudi Arabia’s security forces.
The Kingdom has been locked in a war in Yemen after it answered a call by the UN-backed President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi to help restore his control of the country. The Houthis overthrew the government seat in Sana’a in 2014 and have maintained their hold over vast swathes of the country including in the strategic Red Sea port town of Hudaydah. As a result, Saudi Arabia has imposed a siege on the country exacerbating what has been referred to as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Saudi Arabia has repeatedly accused Iran of providing long-range missiles to Houthi rebels via aid providing channels and a direct hit in the capital could really turn things for the worse.
