Turkey rebukes ballistic missile attack on Saudi Arabia

By Cansu Dikme

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's Foreign Ministry on Sunday condemned the recent ballistic missile, launched by the Houthi militia in Yemen.

In a statement the ministry said: “We condemn the targeting of Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia, on Nov. 4 by a ballistic missile launched by the Houthi militia in Yemen.”

“We welcome that the attack was thwarted by Saudi security forces without the loss of any life and property,” it added.

Saudi Arabia’s air defense system intercepted the ballistic missile Saturday that was reportedly fired from Yemen toward Riyadh, according to Dubai-based Saudi station Al-Arabia.

No causalities or major damage was reported as fragments of the interceptor landed in an uninhabited area east of the airport, said the report.

Yemen’s civil war began in 2014 when Houthi rebels overran the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country, forcing the government to set up an interim capital in the coastal city of Aden.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back the Houthi military gains in Yemen.

According to UN, more than 10,000 people -- including numerous civilians -- have been killed as a result of the conflict.