Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Arab Coalition on Sunday intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched toward Saudi Arabia by the Iran-backed Houthi militia.

Spokesman for the Arab Coalition forces, Col. Turki Al-Maliki, confirmed in a statement carried by Saudi Press Agency (SPA) that the missile targeting civilians was intercepted and destroyed.

Cross-border attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi forces have escalated since late May, when a truce prompted by the coronavirus pandemic expired. In late June, missiles reached the Saudi capital Riyadh.

On Thursday, forces managed to intercept and shoot down a “booby-trapped” drone that was directed at civilians and civilian infrastructure in the city of Khamis Mushayt.

Meanwhile, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has condemned the Houthi missile attacks targeting Saudi Arabia's civilian areas.

The United Arab Emirates has condemned the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist militia's attempts to target civilian areas in Saudi Arabia, the latest of which were the attacks targeted the southern region in the Kingdom on Sunday evening and were all intercepted by the Arab Coalition forces.

In a statement on Monday by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the UAE reiterated its full solidarity with Saudi Arabia against any threats to its security and stability, affirming support for all measures taken by Saudi authorities to maintain the country's security and stability.

"The security of the UAE and that of Saudi Arabia are indivisible, and any threat facing the Kingdom is considered a threat to the security and stability of the UAE," the statement added.

"The continuation of such attacks expresses the danger the Houthi coup poses to the region and further evidence this militia's intention to undermine regional security and stability," it added.

Earlier on Sunday, Egypt strongly condemned the Houthi militia’s attacks targeting Saudi territories.

In a statement, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed Egypt's full solidarity and stand with the Kingdom of in facing any attempt to target civilians and civilian objects and Egypt's support for Saudi Arabia in all measures taken to defend its lands and protect its national security.

Egypt reaffirmed the importance of responding to all ceasefire initiatives in order to reach a settlement to the crisis, in accordance with the GCC initiative and its implementation mechanisms, the outcomes of the comprehensive national dialogue, and the Security Council Resolution No. 2216.