Kingdom intercepts 2 missiles fired from Yemen

RIYADH — Saudi Air Force intercepted two ballistic missiles fired from Yemen into the Kingdom, a Saudi military statement said. The missiles were fired on Wednesday morning toward the cities of Abha and Khamis Mushait, both of which are close to the Kingdom’s southern border with Yemen. The missiles caused no damage. Meanwhile, Yemeni Chief of General Staff Maj. Gen. Muhammad Ali Al-Maqdeshi expressed his appreciation for the significant role being played by Arab Coalition Forces to support the government forces and the Popular Resistance by providing air cover. In a statement reported by the official Yemeni News Agency during an inspection visit to the sites of fighting in “Nahim”, he said that a decisive military stage has begun and the national army and the Popular Resistance are achieving victories. In a related development, a security official said that air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition have forced Al-Qaeda fighters out of a key town in southern Yemen. “Al-Qaeda militants have withdrawn from Azzan, the second city in Shabwa province, after coalition raids targeted their gatherings in the city” on Monday night, the official told AFP. A resident said by telephone that the militants had retreated northwards and “no longer have a presence” in Azzan. Those strikes, which intensified Tuesday, come less than 72 hours after the suspension of UN-brokered talks in Kuwait between Yemen’s warring parties. Coalition warplanes have also targeted the Daesh group who have exploited the chaos in the Arabian Peninsula state to expand their presence in south and southeast Yemen. Al-Qaeda militants are still present elsewhere in Shabwa and in other southern regions, however. Their withdrawal from Azzan followed a series of coalition air raids against their positions in the town, security officials and residents said. The coalition has backed government troops who recaptured the southeastern port city of Mukalla in April, a year after it was seized by Al-Qaeda. Azzan lies on the highway between Shabwa’s provincial capital Ataq and Mukalla, capital of the vast desert province of Hadramawt.