Saudi Intercepts Scud Missile From Yemen

Saudi Arabia intercepted a Scud missile fired towards the kingdom by Iran-backed rebels in Yemen, the local media reported Sunday.

The official Saudi SPA news agency said the missile was destroyed by the kingdom’s air defenses at around 2145 (1845 GMT) on Saturday, around 100 kilometers (60 miles) from its border with Yemen.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Shiite Huthi rebels said in a statement on their sabanews.net website that the missile targeted the Abha Regional Airport in southern Saudi Arabia, AFP reported.

Saturday’s incident is the third time Saudi Arabia says it has shot down a Scud fired from Yemen.

Vehicle-borne Scud ballistic missiles have a much longer range and more powerful warhead than the rockets and mortar bombs which have struck the kingdom’s southern border regions, killing about 90 civilians and soldiers since the coalition intervention began.

The United Nations says more than 6,100 people in Yemen have been killed in the conflict since March, about half of them civilians.