Saudi Arabia’s air defense intercepted two ballistic missiles fired by Houthi rebels at the Saudi cities of Riyadh and Jazan late on March 28, according to state-run news outlet the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

“The Royal Saudi Air Defense intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the terrorist Iran-backed Houthi militia from Sa’dah and Sana’a toward civilians and civilian objects in the Kingdom,” Saudi-led coalition spokesman Colonel Turki Al-Maliki reported.

Riyadh Civil Defense spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Al-Hammadi also told the SPA that there were no fatalities but two civilians in residential areas of the capital had been “slightly injured” by falling fragments from the intercepted rockets. 

The missile attack comes just days after the Saudi-led coalition and Iran-aligned Houthi militia agreed on a ceasefire to tackle the growing threat posed by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). 

Al Malki was scathing in his response, saying, “This escalation by the Houthi militia does not reflect its announcement of acceptance of the ceasefire and de-escalation, nor any seriousness in engaging in confidence-building measures and reaching a comprehensive political solution with the Yemeni government to end the coup.”

Al Malki said the attack is another example of Iran exploiting Yemen to promote its own agenda of territorial advancement, echoing the comments Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi made on March 28.