Saudi Arabia intercept 'ballistic missile' near Riyadh airport

Saudi Arabia on Saturday intercepted and destroyed a "ballistic missile" northeast of the capital Riyadh after it was launched from Yemen, state media reported.

Footage posted on social media shows Saudi defence forces firing a series of anti-ballistic missiles, with five loud bangs to follow.

Black smoke can be seen in the sky near King Khalid International Airport.

State-run news channel Al-Ekhbariya reported Saudi air Defense had intercepted a ballistic missile northeast of Riyadh.

It said the missile "was of limited size [and] no injuries or damage" were reported.

The missile was destroyed near Riyadh's King Khaled international airport, which was functioning normally, it added.

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Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels claimed they had fired the missile, targeting the airport, the Huthis' Al-Masirah television said.

A spokesman for the rebels told Al Jazeera: "The capital cities of countries that continually shell us, targeting innocent civilians, will not be spared from our missiles."

Saudi Arabia's southern neighbour Yemen has been torn apart by a war between the Saudi-backed government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and Huthi rebels backed by Iran.

A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to prop up Hadi's government after the Shiite Huthis seized the capital Sanaa.

The rebels continue to hold much of the country.

United Nations-backed talks have failed to broker a political settlement to end the fighting, which has left more than 8,600 people dead since the coalition intervened.

A cholera outbreak has claimed more than 2,100 lives in Yemen since April as hospitals struggle to secure supplies amid a coalition air and sea blockade.

The United Nations has warned Yemen now stands on the brink of famine.

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