Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched missiles at Riyadh, attempting to hit the Saudi Arabia Defense Ministry.
Although this kind of missile assaults have happened in the past, the recent increase in Houthi attacks could escalate tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Saudi Arabia’s air defense forces on Wednesday stated that they had intercepted the three ballistic missiles fired at Saudi Arabia’s capital and two other cities by Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The three rockets were shot down above Riyadh and the southern cities of Jizan and Najran.
Additionally, on Wednesday morning, the Saudi-led coalition armed forces said that two drones in Jizan and the nearby city of Abha were neutralized.
A statement by the Houthis said that they were aiming at the defense ministry in Riyadh and a Saudi Aramco distribution facility in Najran, Deutsche Welle reported.
According to DW, the Houthi rebels in Yemen have increased their attacks recently, an action that could amplify tension between Saudi Arabia, which backs the Yemeni government, and Iran, which backs the Houthi rebels.
In the last five months, four times the rebels have launched missiles over Riyadh.
The missile attacks on Saudi Arabia are in retaliation for air raids on Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition, The Houthis wrote in a statement.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) are the closest ally of Saudi Arabia; however, the coalition also includes eight other mostly Sunni Arab states, DW wrote.
The US, UK, and France are also considered as allies of the kingdom, but they only offer intelligence and logistic support.
In March, one man was killed in Riyadh by debris when the military shot down several missiles.
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