Yemen's Houthis claim drone, missile attack on 'important Riyadh target'

Yemen's Houthi rebels said on Thursday they had launched an attack on an "important target" in Riyadh with ballistic missiles and drones.

Spokesman for the Houthi military Yahya Saree claimed that a Zulfikar ballistic missile and three Samad-3 drones were used to target a key site in the Saudi capital, without elaborating.

"The attacks are a response to the enemy's permanent escalation and its continuing blockade against our country," Saree said on Twitter.

He vowed to launch further attacks on the kingdom if Riyadh "continues its aggression" against Yemen.

Zulfikar, also spelled Zolfaghar or Dul-Faqqar, is an Iranian-made mid-range ballistic missile.

Saudi Arabia did not confirm the attacks, but earlier on Thursday had said two "explosive-laden" drones had been intercepted and destroyed over the southern city of Najran.

Houthi rebels have stepped up cross-border drone attacks on the kingdom in recent months.

Earlier this week, the Houthis claimed to have targeted Saudi Arabia's Abha Airport twice in less than 48 hours, including one attack involving eight drones.

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Yemen has been locked in conflict since the Houthis took control of the capital Sanaa in 2014 and went on to seize much of the north.

Read also: UAE, Saudi Arabia let Israel send intelligence agents into Yemen: reports 

The crisis escalated when a Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year to support Yemen's internationally-recognised government. Waves of Saudi air strikes have killed thousands and a blockade has devastated the country.

More than 100,000 people have been killed since the intervention, while millions have been displaced internally and externally.

Some 24 million Yemenis - four-fifths of the population - are dependent on some form of humanitarian aid, according to the UN.

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