Saudi air defences intercept missile fired towards Najran

Saudi air defences intercepted a missile fired from Yemen towards the city of Najran on Saturday evening, according to the Saudi coalition.

Spokesperson colonel Turki Al-Malki said the attack by Yemen’s Houthis occurred at 7:20pm and deliberately targeted civilian and populated areas, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

It was successfully destroyed through the interception and there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Al-Malki repeated previous claims, backed by the US, that Iran is providing the Houthis with missile components to attack populated areas.

The kingdom has been targeted by 181 missile attacks since entering the Yemen civil war in 2015 to support ousted President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi against the Houthis, according to the announcement.

Another attack was reported on Tuesday night targeting Jazan.

Read: Saudi forces intercept missile headed towards ‘civilian area’ in Jazan

While the majority of the attacks have been intercepted by air defences, some attacks have also resulted in deaths, including one civilian killed in Jazan earlier this month and three civilians killed in Jazan on June 9.

Read: One killed, 11 injured in Jazan after Saudi intercepts missile fired from Yemen

Three civilians killed in missile attack in Saudi’s Jazan

Saudi Arabia as well as the US have blamed Iran for arming the Houthis, although Tehran has denied any role in the matter.

Also read: UN panel says missiles launched at Saudi show Iranian characteristics