NAJRAN — The Saudi Air Defense Forces on Thursday intercepted a ballistic missile launched by the Houthi militias over Najran. Col. Turki Al-Malki, spokesman of the Coalition forces, said that the Air Defense Forces spotted at 5.31 p.m. on Thursday the launch of a ballistic missile by the Iranian-backed Houthi militias from Amran governorate within Yemeni territory towards the territory of the Kingdom.

Al-Maliki said that the missile was in the direction of the city of Najran and was deliberately launched to target civilian and populated areas. “It has been intercepted and destroyed over the skies of Najran and there was no loss of life,” he said.

The spokesman said that this hostile action by the Iranian-backed Houthi militias proves the continued involvement of the Iranian regime in supporting the Houthi armed militias in clear and explicit defiance of the UN resolutions 2216 and 2231. “These (missile launch) are aimed at threatening the security of not only Saudi Arabia but also the region and the world as firing of ballistic missiles targeting densely populated cities and villages is contrary to international humanitarian law,” he said in Riyadh.

Al-Maliki renewed his call to the international community to take more serious and effective steps to stop the blatant Iranian violations through the continued smuggling and transfer of ballistic missiles and weapons to terrorist groups. He also underlined the need to hold Iran accountable for its support and flagrant defiance of international norms and values.

Last Friday, the Air Defense Forces of the Arab Coalition had intercepted a ballistic missile fired by the Houthi militias over the skies of Najran. Social networking sites shared a number of pictures of an intercepted Houthi missile in the Najran area. The pictures showed that the missile fragments were scattered and the shrapnel hit one of the cars, which was partially destroyed, without any injuries reported.