Saudi Intercepts Yemen Rebel Missile Over Riyadh

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday intercepted a Yemeni rebel missile over Riyadh on Tuesday, state media said, as the rebels said the target was Yamamah palace, the official residence of King Salman.
An AFP correspondent heard a loud explosion at 1050 GMT, shortly before the scheduled unveiling of the Saudi budget, which is usually announced from the Yamamah palace by the king.

“Ballistic missile intercepted over Riyadh,” the Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen’s Houthi rebels said in a statement.

It was the second missile attack by the Houthis on Riyadh in the past two months.

The first attack, which targeted Riyadh international airport on November 4, triggered the tightening of a longstanding Saudi-led blockade of Yemen already on the verge of famine.

Saudi Arabia angrily accused its arch foe Iran of supplying the missile to the rebels, a charge Tehran strongly denied.