Saudi Arabia Intercepts Missiles Said to be Launched by Houthis in Yemen

Air defense systems in Saudi Arabia intercepted ballistic missiles allegedly fired overnight between Saturday and Sunday by Yemen-based, Iran-aligned Houthi rebels. The missiles reportedly targeted Riyadh and the southern city of Jizan. “Two civilians [in Riyadh] were slightly injured due to the falling of the intercepted missile’s debris as it exploded in mid-air over residential districts,” the state-run SPA reported. While no group immediately claimed responsibility, Houthi rebels have previously targeted Saudi cities with missiles and drones. It came a day after Iranian-backed terrorists in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip fired a rocket toward southern Israel, breaking a month-long period of relative calm following repeated low-intensity military exchanges. That, in turn, came 48 hours after two rockets slammed into Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, where both the parliament and the US Embassy are located. The heightened activity has raised concerns that Tehran is activating its proxies across the region in a bid to pressure nations to provide the Islamic Republic with financial relief. Iran’s economy, already buckling under the weight of US economic sanctions, has taken a further hit as the country struggles to contain one of the world’s worst coronavirus outbreaks.