Riyadh, Dec 19 (AFP) Saudi Arabia said it intercepted amissile today over Riyadh fired by Iran-backed Huthi rebels inYemen who announced that the target was the official residenceof King Salman.
Saudi Arabia and the United States have accused Iran ofsupplying weapons to the insurgents, and Riyadh described thelatest missile as "Iranian-Huthi".
An AFP correspondent heard a loud explosion at 1050 GMT,shortly before the scheduled unveiling of the Saudi budget,which is usually announced by the king from the Yamamahpalace, his official residence.
"Coalition forces confirm intercepting an Iranian-Huthimissile," the Center for International Communication, an armof the Saudi information ministry, said on Twitter.
"There are no reported casualties at this time," itadded.
It was the second missile fired by the Huthis -- whoseized the Yemeni capital in 2014 -- at Riyadh in the past twomonths.
The attacks, which could further escalate a militarycampaign by a Saudi-led coalition against the rebels,underscore how the raging Yemen conflict is increasinglyspilling across the border.
The first attack, which targeted Riyadh internationalairport on November 4, triggered the tightening of a long-standing Saudi-led blockade of Yemen -- already on the vergeof famine.
Saudi Arabia angrily accused its arch foe Iran ofsupplying the missile to the rebels, a charge Tehran stronglydenied.
On Thursday, US ambassador to the United Nations NikkiHaley presented what she called "undeniable" evidence thatlast month's missile was "made in Iran".
But her comments went beyond the findings of a UNinvestigation which reached no firm conclusion on whether themissile came from an Iranian supplier, saying only that it hada "common origin" to some Iranian designs.
The coalition, which accuses the rebels of being a proxyfor Iran, says the blockade is needed to stop the flow of armsto the Huthis from Tehran.
Residents in the Saudi capital reported hearing a loudexplosion and seeing smoke after Tuesday's attack.
"I was in my office when I heard a big bang," said TomasKompikan, one of the many foreign workers in Riyadh.
"Suddenly after around 30 to 45 seconds I heard a nextsound... and we saw a white smoke."The Huthi rebels last month warned that they considered"airports, ports, border crossings and areas of anyimportance" in Saudi Arabia, as well as its ally the UnitedArab Emirates, as legitimate targets.
More than 8,750 people have been killed since SaudiArabia and its allies joined the government's fight againstthe Huthis in 2015, triggering what the UN has called theworld's worst humanitarian crisis. (AFP)CPS.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.