Saudi Arabia intercepts ballistic missile over Riyadh

This is the moment Yemen rebels filmed themselves launching a ballistic missile that was intercepted by Saudi Arabia just seconds from hitting King Salman’s palace.

Eyewitnesses said they saw a plume of smoke over the nation’s capital Riyadh after hearing a blast at about 10.50am yesterday – shortly before the scheduled unveiling of the Saudi budget.

The Houthis’ Al Masirah TV reported that a Burkan H2 ballistic missile had been targeted at the royal residence. However it was shot down by Saudi Arabia’s military south of the capital with no reports of any damage.

It has led to escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, with the US ambassador to the UN saying the missile bears the hallmarks of a weapon provided by Tehran.

Nikki Haley said Iran’s actions threatened to drag the world ‘deeper into a broadening regional conflict’. The country denies arming Houthi rebels who are fighting Yemen’s government and a Saudi-led coalition. 

Yesterday morning the Shiite rebels said they were targeting a meeting of leaders at Yamama palace. They claimed a Volcano H-2 ballistic missile was used in the attack.

A Volcano H-2 missile that Houthi rebels say was fired at the royal palace in Riyadh this morning before a budget meeting

Pictures on social media showed a trail of white smoke in the skies above Saudi Arabia's capital city, Riyadh this morning

Pictures on social media showed a trail of white smoke in the skies above Saudi Arabia's capital city, Riyadh this morning

Pictures on social media showed a trail of white smoke in the skies above Saudi Arabia’s capital city, Riyadh this morning 

A Saudi-led coalition is battling the armed Houthi movement in neighbouring Yemen and this morning the Shiite rebels said they were targeting a meeting of leaders at Yamama palace

A Saudi-led coalition is battling the armed Houthi movement in neighbouring Yemen and this morning the Shiite rebels said they were targeting a meeting of leaders at Yamama palace

Pictures on social media showed a trail of white smoke in the skies above the city this morning.  State television has claimed there are no reports of damage so far while.

Officials said the missile was ‘Iranian-Huthi’, days after Washington accused Tehran of manufacturing a missile fired by the Yemeni rebels at the Saudi capital last month.

A royal family member appeared to confirm the missile was aimed at a palace meeting.

‘Coalition forces confirm intercepting an Iranian-Houthi missile targeting (the) south of Riyadh. There are no reported casualties at this time,’ the government-run Center for International Communication wrote on its Twitter account.

The attack happened hours before Saudi Arabia was due to announce the country’s annual budget in a news conference expected to be attended by senior ministers.

Reuters witnesses described hearing a blast and said they saw smoke in the north-east of Riyadh.

It was the second Huthi missile attack on Riyadh in the past two months.

The first attack, which targeted Riyadh international airport on November 4, triggered the tightening of a longstanding Saudi-led blockade of Yemen – already on the verge of famine.

Saudi Arabia angrily accused its arch foe Iran of supplying the missile to the rebels, a charge Tehran strongly denied.

On Thursday, US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley presented what she called ‘undeniable’ evidence that last month’s missile was ‘made in Iran’.

But her comments went beyond the findings of a UN investigation which reached no firm conclusion on whether the missile came from an Iranian supplier, saying only that it had a ‘common origin’ to some Iranian designs. 

It was the second Huthi missile attack on Riyadh in the past two months. A picture shows rockets that were fired at Riyadh international airport on November 4

It was the second Huthi missile attack on Riyadh in the past two months. A picture shows rockets that were fired at Riyadh international airport on November 4

Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted a ballistic missile over Riyadh after Yemen rebels claimed to have fired at the capital's palace (file picture)

Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted a ballistic missile over Riyadh after Yemen rebels claimed to have fired at the capital’s palace (file picture)

Tory former international development secretary Andrew Mitchell said Mr Johnson was right to condemn the attack on Riyadh, but also called for the Foreign Secretary to speak out about Saudi actions in Yemen.

Mr Mitchell told Channel Four News: ‘He is quite right to condemn the attack on Riyadh by the Houthis.

‘I think Britain should also condemn the six attacks a night by the Saudi air force which are killing civilians throughout the Yemen.

‘I think we should condemn all attacks on civilians.’

The MP added Britain was complicit in a ‘punishment beating’ of Yemen as he called for the UK to propose a new UN Security Council resolution demanding an end to the blockade of the country.

He said: ‘It is absolutely intolerable that today, 2017, at this point in our international development we are complicit in a coalition that is blockading a country of 27 million people, effectively delivering a punishment beating for the whole of the Yemen – which is a breach of international humanitarian law – and it needs to be condemned outright.

‘We need a new United Nations Security Council resolution which looks to the future, which ends the blockade. Not just the humanitarian blockade, but the commercial blockade as well.

‘And that insists that there are proper political negotiations with no preconditions for the future of this country.’

 

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