Saudis Say They Intercepted Houthi Missiles, Drones

Saudi Arabia reports having brought down a succession of ballistic missiles and unmanned aircraft launched from Yemen starting late Monday night into Tuesday. Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility during a Tuesday broadcast on their Beirut-based Almasirah television channel. According to the state-owned Saudi Press Agency, a military spokesman cited three ballistic missiles and eight bomb-laden drones as having been launched toward the kingdom. The Houthis say they were targeting the Defense Ministry in Riyadh, an intelligence facility in the capital and the King Salman Air Base to the east of the city, as well as military targets in southern part of the country closer to the border with Yemen. The Shi’ite Houthis have regularly used ballistic and cruise missiles and drones – some said to have been supplied by Iran – to stage attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia, which for the past five years has led a coalition of Sunni-Muslim states in backing the internationally recognized government of Yemen, which has relocated most of its ministries to the southern port city of Aden after being forced out of the capital Sanaa.