Kingdom intercepts missile from Yemen

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia intercepted a missile fired before dawn Monday from Yemen toward its southern border region, the coalition said, in the latest such attack despite a ceasefire and peace talks. In a brief statement, the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen since March said air defenses stopped the missile from reaching the Kingdom’s southern Jazan district. “Air forces immediately destroyed the launch pad inside Yemen,” the coalition said. Saudi Arabia has deployed Patriot missile batteries designed to counter tactical ballistic missiles. Three civilians, two of them from India, died on Saturday when shellfire from Yemen struck the border city of Najran. On Friday, the coalition said Saudi air defenses intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Yemen and that a second missile struck a desert area east of Najran city. Those attacks came after a local source reported that on September 13 another missile struck a desert area of the Kingdom’s south, causing no damage. The head of the Yemeni government negotiating team, Foreign Minister Abdel Malak Al-Mekhlafi, said the much-violated ceasefire will be extended for seven days after it officially expires on Monday. — Agencies