RIYADH, 26th March, 2018 (WAM) -- The Spokesman of the Arab Coalition Forces Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen, Colonel Turki bin Saleh Al-Malki, on Sunday night said that air defence forces have intercepted seven ballistic missiles from within Yemeni territory towards Saudi Arabia, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

According to Colonel Al-Maliki, three of the missiles were heading towards Riyadh, while another targeted the city of Khamis Mushait, another was heading to Najran and two others targeted Jizan, adding that the missiles were launched "in a random manner, targeting populated, civilian areas."

He said that the Royal Saudi Air Defence forces managed to intercept and destroy all the missiles, however missile fragments fell on a residential neighbourhood, resulting in the death of an Egyptian expatriate and wounded two others.

The Media Spokesman of the Civil Defence in Riyadh Maj. Mohammed Al-Hammadi said that the Civil Defence teams in Riyadh on Sunday evening responded to an incident involving missile fragments falling into a residential neighbourhood. "Shrapnel fell on a residential house resulting in the martyrdom of an expatriate and the wounding of two others, all of them of Egyptian nationality," he said.

Al-Maliki said that this hostile and indiscriminate action by the Iranian-backed Houthis "proves the continued involvement of the Iranian regime's support for the Houthi armed group", adding it is "a clear and explicit challenge", and in "violation of UN Resolutions 2216 and 2231," which threatens the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and regional and international security.

He reaffirmed that the firing of ballistic missiles towards populated cities and villages is contrary to international humanitarian law, stressing that the actions of the Houthis is a serious development in the war against terrorist organisations and those who back and support them, including state sponsors of terrorism such as Iran, added SPA.

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