Saudi-led coalition intercepts Houthi missile bound for Saudi Arabia
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Tribune Online
The Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis towards the south of the kingdom on 2 November. The interception comes as fighting intensifies in Yemen’s al-Jawf governorate, where government forces claim 1,272 operations in 24 hours, according to statements reported by Anadolu Agency and Al Jazeera.
The Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen intercepted a ballistic missile launched by Houthi rebels towards southern Saudi Arabia on Monday 2 November, its spokesman, Major General Turki al-Maliki, announced. Air defences destroyed the projectile before it reached its target, he said.
The coalition had also intercepted a drone launched towards the kingdom on Sunday evening, Anadolu news agency reports. The interceptions come as fighting intensifies in Yemen’s al-Jawf governorate, in the north of the country, where government forces are attempting to retake territory from the Houthis.
Yemeni army spokesman Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili said government forces had carried out 1,272 operations against Houthi fighters and military positions in 24 hours. He reported about 500 fighters killed and nearly 170 military vehicles and pieces of equipment destroyed or neutralised. Al Jazeera said the figures could not be independently verified.
Houthi-affiliated media also reported seven people wounded in coalition strikes on Hodeidah, notably against Ras Isa port and a site belonging to an oil company. The coalition had not responded to the reports at the time of publication.
The clashes follow strikes attributed to Riyadh that killed 14 people in Yemen on 29 October. On 30 October, the Houthis denied launching a drone towards Saudi Arabia, amid regional tensions marked by the stalling of US-Iran talks.
