Saudi citizen killed in Houthi missile attack

By Mohammed Fahd

RIYADH (AA) - A Saudi national was killed by a missile fired by Houthi rebels from neighboring Yemen, according to the Saudi civil defense authority on Saturday.

Saudi air defense forces intercepted the missile fired Houthi rebels on the southern Jazan province on Friday.

A spokesman for the civil defense authority said a Saudi citizen died of shrapnel while two vehicles and three houses sustained damage from the attack.

And on Saturday, Saudi air defenses intercepted four ballistic missiles over Jazan, according to the Saudi-funded Al Arabiya television.

There was no confirmation from the Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels.

The Houthi-run Al Masirah television earlier said the Shia group had fired eight ballistic missiles toward Jazan in southern Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, thousands of Houthis took part in the funeral of senior Houthi leader Saleh al-Sammad, who was killed in a Saudi-led coalition airstrike in western Yemen last week.

In 2014, Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa, forcing Yemen's Saudi-backed government to set up an interim capital in Aden.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies -- who accuse the Houthis of serving as an Iranian proxy -- launched a massive military campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.