Saudi-led coalition says 6 ballistic missiles are intercepted and blames Houthi rebels

CAIRO (AP) — Six ballistic missiles targeting Saudi Arabia ‘s port of Yanbu on the Red Sea and the southwestern city of Taif have been intercepted, a Saudi military spokesperson said Thursday. There was no immediate claim of responsibility from the Iran-backed Houthis in neighboring Yemen, who in recent days have been blamed for attempted attacks on the kingdom, including on Riyadh, the Saudi capital. The Associated Press could not immediately verify the claim by Saudi Maj.

Turki al-Malki, who is also the spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi rebels. His statement followed alerts by Saudi civil defense authorities, who later noted the danger had passed. The escalation in fighting near the crucial Red Sea shipping corridor has worried global markets while marking a return to civil war in Yemen.

Over 125,000 people have fled the fighting as a humanitarian crisis grows.While the Saudis have sought military support from allies, their key partner the United States has said it has been in contact with the Houthis and indicated it was sitting this fight out.The rebels have asserted they are targeting only the Saudis and said commercial shipping on the Red Sea otherwise faces no threat, but they have warned other nations against stepping in.Their new perch at the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea after storming down Yemen's coast this month gives them better surveillance of passing ships on one of the world's busiest waterways.For the Houthis' ally Iran, which has asserted control over the even busier Strait of Hormuz off its coast since the U.S. and Israel attacked it in February, the added pressure on shipping is welcome.___Anna reported from Jerusalem. DUBAI: The coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally-recognized government intercepted and destroyed six ballistic missiles fired by the Houthi militia, its spokesperson Maj.

Malki said air defenses thwarted an attempt to target Taif and Yanbu. “Escalations and violations by the terrorist Houthi militia will be dealt with firmly,” he said.