Saudis Intercept Yemeni Missile, Attack Launch Site

The Royal Saudi Arabian Air Force (RSAF) attacked a missile site in Yemen, hours after it intercepted a ballistic missile launched by the Houti rebels.

The official spokesman of coalition forces "Coalition for the Restoration of the Legitimacy of Yemen" Colonel Turki al-Malki, said that at 2203 pm on Saturday, the Saudi Royal Air Force (RAF) discovered the launch of a ballistic missile from within Yemeni territory towards the Saudi city of Khamis Mushait.

The missile was intercepted and destroyed without any casualties. The coalition forces then targeted the launch site.

No details of the missile or the interceptor used to destroy it were provided.

Al-Maliki said that the control of ballistic weapons by terrorist organizations, including the Houthi armed militia, represents a threat to regional and international security.

The coalition asserts that the continuation of armed militias in targeting cities with ballistic missiles is the biggest evidence of the continued smuggling of weapons into Yemen, especially from the port of Hodeidah, which is under the control of the coupists (a Saudi euphemism for Houti rebels who deposed the Saudi supported president of Yemen in a coup).

The missile launch came in the midst of nationwide celebrations to mark the founding of the kingdom. The ballistic missile targeted Khamis Mushait, which houses the Saudi-led coalition’s main airbase for its operations in Yemen, the official Saudi Press Agency said.

While the Saudi-led coalition accuses Iran of supplying missiles to Yemen, experts assert that the missiles are low tech, short range projectiles without any guidance for precision-targeting. They can be compared to the Iraqi Scud missiles under the Saddam Hussain regime.