Saudi forces shoot down missile fired into Jizan

22 April 2018
Saudi air force intercepts missile shot by Houthi rebels into southern city that houses Saudi Aramco refinery

The Saudi military says it successfully repelled a missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi militias on 21 April.

According to the Saudi-led military coalition fighting the three-year war in Yemen, Houthi rebels fired a “ballistic missile” at densely populated areas in the southern city of Jizan, bordering Yemen, which houses a 400,000 barrel-a-day Saudi Aramco oil refinery.

The Royal Saudi Air Defense detected a ballistic missile launch from Sa’dah, Yemen at 10:02 am, the coalition’s official spokesman, Colonel Turki al-Malki, said in a statement.

The missile was intercepted before it could hit its target, Al-Maliki said, adding that the interception resulted in missile fragments falling into some residential areas. No casualties were reported.

A statement published on the Houthi-run Al-Masirah news portal claimed the group fired a Badr 1 ballistic missile that struck Jizan Regional Airport.

Saudi and other international media outlets have confirmed, however, that the airport has been functioning normally, with flights arriving and departing on time.

Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia has led a coalition of Arab states fighting to roll back the Houthi rebels in Yemen and restore the country’s government to power.

The missile attack attempt on Jizan was the latest in a series of similar attacks. So far, the Houthis have launched more than 100 missiles at Saudi cities and installations.

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