Saudis say Scud missile fired by Yemeni rebels intercepted

Shiite rebels known as Houthis stand near the rubble of a house destroyed by a Saudi airstrike in Sanaa, Yemen, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2015. AP Photo

SANAA, Yemen—Saudi Arabia said its military “intercepted and destroyed” a Scud missile fired across the border by Yemeni rebels early Wednesday.

The Saudi military destroyed the missile’s launch pad inside Yemen, Saudi’s official news agency said. It said the missile was in the Jizan region in southern Saudi Arabia when it was intercepted.

The Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, said in a statement the missile hit a power plant in Jizan.

Yemen’s conflict pits the Shiite Houthi rebels and troops loyal to a former president against an array of forces including southern separatists, local and tribal militias, Sunni Islamic militants as well as troops loyal to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

The Iran-supported Houthis took over the capital, Sanaa, last September, and in March a Saudi-led coalition started launching airstrikes against them.

A high-ranking Saudi general was killed Sunday in Jizan by hostile fire. Several dozen Saudi soldiers have been killed in border attacks since the airstrikes began, mostly by missiles launched by the rebels and their allies.

The Saudi-led coalition meanwhile bombed several locations in Sanaa and in the central Marib province on Wednesday, according to tribal officials and security officials on both sides of the conflict.

Ground clashes were underway in Taiz, Yemen’s third largest city, according to independent security officials, and in the town of Mukayris in the Bayda province, according to witnesses, independent security officials and the Houthis. The rebels said the coalition bombed areas in the northern provinces of Saada and Hajjah, and the western coastal Hodeida province.

All officials requested anonymity because they are not authorized to brief reporters.