Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser
Saudi air defences on Tuesday intercepted a ballistic missile fired towards the Saudi capital Riyadh, Saudi-owned channel al-Arabiya reported in a news flash quoting a Saudi-led military coalition.
The coalition is battling the armed Houthi movement in neighbouring Yemen. The Houthis said earlier they had fired a missile towards Riyadh.
Saudi officials said they intercepted and destroyed the projectile.
In an interview with Al Jazeera in November, Mohammed Abdul Salam, a spokesman for the Houthi rebels, threatened to escalate operations on the Yemeni-Saudi border and target deep inside the Kingdom.
"The Saudis started the war. Our response will continue and increase, whether it's targeting deep inside Saudi Arabia, targeting military positions where Saudi jets fly from, or military bases inside Yemeni territory," Abdul Salam said.
