Saudi air defence shoot down Houthi missile

Saudi air defence forces intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired from Yemen towards the kingdom, the Riyadh-led anti-Houti coalition said.

The missile was fired towards the Najran region but was shot down, said a coalition statement, with Saudi-led coalition forces responding by firing at the "source" of the missile, inside Yemen.

The coalition has been engaged in a bombing campaign against Houthi rebels and their allies since March last year, and the insurgents have targeted their air bases.

Saudi Arabia has deployed Patriot missiles to counter such attacks.

Last month, the rebels launched one of their longest-range strikes against Saudi Arabia, firing a ballistic missile that was brought down near the holy Muslim city of Mecca, an attack that was roundly condemned by Riyadh's Gulf allies.

The rebels insisted that the missile had been fired at Jeddah, the Red Sea city in the sprawling Mecca region, not the holy city itself.