Saudi Media: Houthi Rebel Missile Fragment Kills 1, Wounds 2 in Riyadh
Air Force intercepts 7 missiles fired on 3rd anniversary of Saudi military operation in Yemen
The United States has strongly condemned Houthi missile attacks Sunday aimed at cities in Saudi Arabia. The State Department said Monday the United States supports "the right of our Saudi partners to defend their borders against these threats". A fragment from a barrage of ballistic missiles fired into Saudi Arabia, allegedly by Iran-backed Yemeni rebels, killed one person and wounded two in Riyadh. The victims are Egyptian nationals who were in a residential neighborhood of the Saudi capital. The Saudi Air Force says it intercepted and destroyed seven missiles shot over Riyadh and three other cities. Witnesses on the ground said they heard loud explosions and saw bright flashes in the sky. The Houthis have fired a number of missiles into Saudi Arabia since late last year, including one on the international airport in Riyadh, which United Nations experts determined was Iranian-made. Saudi officials said at the time that the attack "may amount to an act of war." Iran has admitted supporting the rebel Houthis, but denies arming them. Sunday's missile launch coincides with the third anniversary of the Saudi-led coalition that has launched airstrikes and a ground operation to try to push the Houthis out of Yemen. Human rights groups said the Saudi rockets have obliterated entire civilian neighborhoods in and around Sana'a. It has also compounded Yemen's humanitarian crisis, including thousands of civilian deaths, a looming famine, fuel shortages, and a cholera epidemic. The Houthis seized the capital in 2014, sending the Yemeni government into exile in Saudi Arabia. U.N. peace talks have been unsuccessful.