Saudi Arabia’s U.S.-made missile defense systems downed a Houthi rebel-fired missile just moments before it struck the royal compound earlier today, according to Saudi media.
A spokesman for the Houthi rebels said that forces had launched the missile at the Saudi capital of Riyadh.
Mohammed Abdussalam said on Twitter that a Volcano 2-H ballistic missile was fired towards al-Yamama royal palace.
Bloomberg reporter Vivian Nereim tweeted: “Loud boom heard in central Riyadh – big enough that we felt it shake our tower.”
The Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information tweeted: “Coalition forces confirm intercepting an Iranian-Houthi missile targeting south of Riyadh. There are no reported casualties at this time.”
The Saudi Arabian military shot down a missile fired at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh last month. [source]
(Analyst comment: U.S. ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said this week that the United States had obtained evidence that Iran was supplying ballistic missiles to the Houthi rebels, which it backs in their war against rival Saudi Arabia.)
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