Saudi Arabia says missile fired at Riyadh is made in Iran

RIYADH, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia accused Iran of trafficking missiles to Yemen, indicating that the missile intercepted 25 km away from Riyadh was made in Iran, Al Ekhbariyal local news channel reported.

The Saudi-led coalition involved in a war against Houthi rebels in Yemen said that trafficked Iranian missiles to Yemen are major violations of the United Nations resolutions.

The missile targeted a residential area south Riyadh and it was intercepted before causing any injuries or damages, the coalition spokesperson, Brigadier Turki Al Maliki, said.

He said Houthi militias possessing Iranian-made missiles are a threat to regional and international security. He accused the militias of exploiting ports that are open to receive humanitarian aids for Yemenis to traffic weapons into the country.

On Nov. 4, Saudi air defences also shot down a ballistic missile fired by Houthis in Yemen over the King Khaled International Airport north of Saudi capital Riyadh.

Houthi militias have been targeting various Saudi cities with missiles since the beginning of the war of the Saudi-led coalition against Houthis in Yemen in 2015.

The Saudi border cities are the most hit by missile attacks with casualties and property damages.

Saudi Arabia led a military coalition of Arab forces backed by the United States intervened in Yemen's conflict in March 2015 to back the government of exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The coalition has launched thousands of airstrikes on the rebels, in attempts to roll back the rebel gains and reinstate Hadi to the capital Sanaa.

The war has killed over 10,000 Yemenis, mostly civilians, and pushed the country to the brink of mass famine. Enditem