Saudi coalition says Houthi missile intercepted, mosque hit by another

Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a missile launched by Houthi rebel forces in Yemen on Friday, as another was claimed to have killed 22 worshipers and wounded dozens more at a mosque in Marib Province.

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said the missile, targeting the southern coastal city of Jizan, was intercepted and destroyed by air defence forces after being launched from inside Yemen.

“In addition, the Coalition Air Force pinpointed the launching ground of the missile and, immediately, retaliated by airstrikes,” according to Saudi Press Agency.

The kingdom and the Gulf Cooperation Council also strongly condemned an attack on the same day, reportedly targeting a mosque in Yemen’s Sirwah Directorate in Marib Province.

In a statement to Saudi Press Agency, GCC secretary general Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, said the incident was a “heinous crime” and incompatible with the principals of Islamic and international law.

Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies, including the UAE, are backing the government of Yemeni President Mansur Hadi in the country’s civil war.

Coalition forces have been fighting Houthi rebels and troops loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh since March 2015.

The conflict has killed tens of thousands and created a humanitarian disaster in the country.

They have intercepted a number of missiles fired into Saudi territory over the last two years including one fired towards the city of Khamis Mushayt in south-west Saudi Arabia last month.

Read: Saudi intercepts and destroys missile from Yemen

The Hadi government said on Friday that the mosque attack showed the only solution to end the risk of attacks was to liberate the rest of the territory under the opposition’s control.

In separate news, the Saudi-led coalition also said on Friday it had intercepted three launches from Yemen’s Midi seaport.

One was destroyed, a second was captured with is full crew and a third managed to escape, according to SPA.