Saudi Arabia says new Yemen missile intercepted

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi air defences on Sunday intercepted a ballistic missile over the southern province of Jizan after being fired from rebel-held territory in neighbouring Yemen, state media said.

"Saudi defences intercepted a missile over Jizan, launched by Houthi militia from Yemen," the state-owned Al Ekhbariya TV reported, without specifying if there were any casualties.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels have in recent months ramped up missile attacks against neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which leads a military coalition that has fought the insurgents since 2015.

The attack comes a day after three civilians were killed in Jizan when Houthi rebels fired a "projectile" at the province, according to the coalition.

The strike coincides with the advance of coalition-backed Yemeni forces on the rebel-held Red Sea Port of Hodeida, the main conduit for humanitarian supplies into a country teetering on the brink of famine.

In late May, air defences intercepted Houthi missiles over the southern cities of Najran and Jizan, according to the coalition, which said there were no casualties.

Saudi Arabia last month tested a new siren system for the capital Riyadh and the oil-rich Eastern Province, in a sign of the increasing threat posed by the rebels' arms.

Riyadh accuses its regional rival Tehran of supplying the Houthis with ballistic missiles, a charge Iran denies.