Saudis intercept ballistic missile northeast of Riyadh
No casualties have been reported
November 4, 2017
Saudi Arabia has intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile northeast of the capital Riyadh, state media reported.
"The missile was of limited size [and] no injuries or damage" were reported, state news channel Al Ekhbariya said on Saturday.
Reports of loud bangs heard at 20:45.
#SaudiArabia intercepted a missile that #HouthiMilitias fired from #Yemen to an uninhabited area of Riyadh, close to @KKIASA. No injuries. pic.twitter.com/zsSr36kY2X
— CIC Saudi Arabia (@CICSaudi) November 4, 2017
The missile was fired from across Saudi Arabia's southern border by Yemen's Houthi rebels towards one of the kingdom's major international airports on the outskirts of the capital, Riyadh. Several Houthi-owned media outlets, including Al-Masira and SABA, reported the rebels had launched the missile.
The missile was shot down by Saudi air defense forces, with fragments of the missile landing in an uninhabited area north of the capital. Saudi Arabia's Civil Aviation Authority said the missile did not cause any damage to the King Khalid International Airport and that flights were not disrupted.
A Saudi military spokesman condemned the attack in a statement, saying the missile was fired "indiscriminately" toward a populated civilian area.
An unverified video shows four anti-ballistic missiles being fired into the air. Shortly afterwards five loud bangs can be heard.
Updated: November 5, 2017 02:32 AM
