Saudi-led coalition denies Houthi attempt to target Riyadh airport

RIYADH, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Saudi-led coalition denied on Wednesday any attempt by Houthi militias to target King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Al Arabiya local news reported.

The coalition spokesperson Col. Turki Al Maliki said in a statement that the forces only spotted a failed attempt by the Iranian-backed militias to target unpopulated desert with a missile attack.

He said that the false announcement by the militias showed their clear intention of targeting civilians.

The capital Saudi city was targeted last month when the coalition announced the interception of a ballistic missile fired from Yemen.

The incident wasn't the first, the coalition intercepted another missile that also targeted Riyadh on Nov. 4. The air force confirmed that no damages or injuries were reported in the foiled attacks.

Saudi Arabia accused Iran of trafficking missiles to Yemen, indicating that the second missile intercepted 25 km away from Riyadh was made in Iran.

The Saudi-coalition involved in a war against Houthi rebels in Yemen from 2015 highlighted that trafficked Iranian missiles to Yemen is a major violation of the United Nations resolutions.

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. Enditem