Saudi intercepts Yemen rebel missile over Riyadh

Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a missile on Tuesday over Riyadh fired by Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen who announced that the target was the official residence of King Salman.

Saudi Arabia and the United States have accused Iran of supplying weapons to the insurgents, and Riyadh described the latest missile as “IranianHuthi”.

An AFP correspondent heard a loud explosion at 1050 GMT, shortly before the scheduled unveiling of the Saudi budget, which is usually announced by the king from the Yamamah palace, his official residence.

“Coalition forces confirm intercepting an IranianHuthi missile,” the Center for International Communication, an arm of the Saudi information ministry, said on Twitter.

“There are no reported casualties at this time,” it added. It was the second missile fired by the Huthis -- who seized the Yemeni capital in 2014 -- at Riyadh in the past two months.

The attacks, which could further escalate a military campaign by a Saudi-led coalition against the rebels, underscore how the raging Yemen conflict is increasingly spilling across the border.

The first attack, which targeted Riyadh international airport on November 4, triggered the tightening of a long- standing 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.

On Thursday, US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley presented what she called “undeniable" evidence that last month’s missile was "made in Iran”.