[ad_1]
RIYADH, February 28: Loud explosions rocked Riyadh on Saturday when a Saudi-led military coalition said it thwarted a missile attack launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, which rained debris on civilian homes.
The Iranian-backed Houthis have stepped up attacks on the kingdom, as they step up an offensive to seize the last northern stronghold of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, Marib.
The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh, according to the official SPA news agency.
Fragments of the missile spread through various Riyadh neighborhoods, damaging at least one house, but no casualties were reported, Al-Ekhbariya state television said.
AFP correspondents in the Saudi capital reported hearing multiple loud explosions. The night sky lit up with a brilliant flash after a missile intercepted, images from state television showed.
Separately, the coalition said it intercepted six Houthi drones targeting the kingdom, including the southern cities of Khamis Mushait and Jizan.
The rebels did not immediately claim responsibility for any of the attacks. They frequently attack southern areas and have previously targeted Riyadh with missiles and drones.
The assaults came when Saudi Arabia staged a Formula E championship on the outskirts of Riyadh, which, according to state media, was attended by the de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The Houthis have stepped up cross-border attacks against the kingdom even after the United States removed the rebels from the terrorist list and redoubled efforts to reduce the escalation of the six-year conflict.
The designation, imposed by the administration of former US President Donald Trump, had been widely criticized by aid organizations, who warned it would hamper their efforts to alleviate a humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
US President Joe Biden halted support for Saudi offensive operations in the Yemen war, calling it a “catastrophe” that “has to end.”
But he also reiterated the United States’ support for Saudi Arabia in defending its territory.
Alongside the cross-border attacks, the Houthis are pushing ahead with a deadly offensive to seize the Yemeni government stronghold of Marib, home to some of the country’s richest oil fields.
Years of bombing have failed to shake the rebels’ hold on the capital, Sanaa, and they have steadily expanded their reach in the north of the country.
Yemen’s crippling conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions, according to international organizations, sparking what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. AFP
[ad_2]
