Foreign Affairs
WATCH: Stunning Videos Show Saudi Air Defenses Targeting Ballistic Missiles
No featured image available
Saudi Arabia’s air defenses shot interceptors at an unknown number of ballistic missiles launched over the capital of Riyadh late Sunday night, resulting in stunning eyewitness videos of explosions in the night sky.
Witnesses in Riyadh heard several loud booms and saw bursts of light in the air shortly before midnight, Reuters reported. Saudi state media reported interceptors shot down missiles, but it was not immediately clear how many or if any had struck targets on the ground.
Nonpartisan, open-source analysis group Strategic Sentinel compiled eyewitness video depicting the frightening display:
Part of the intercepted missile landing in #Riyadh pic.twitter.com/TgmvGA5ZVk
— Strategic Sentinel (@StratSentinel) March 25, 2018
More angles of #Saudi interceptors pic.twitter.com/A2N5SVjl5n
— Strategic Sentinel (@StratSentinel) March 25, 2018
One rocket that struck the ground appeared to have been an interceptor that failed to hit its intented target:
New angle suggests this is actually a spectacular failure of a #Saudi interceptor and not the missile fired at #Riyadh pic.twitter.com/TejVbA8fh3
— Strategic Sentinel (@StratSentinel) March 25, 2018
Yemen-based Houthi rebels targeted Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport with a Burkan H2 missile, the rebels said Sunday, according to Reuters, which cited the Houthi-run SABA news agency. The group also fired other types of missiles at airports in southern Saudi Arabia, according to the SABA report.
Saudi Arabia has been fighting against Houthi rebels since 2014, when the Shiite group overthew Yemen’s Saudi-friendly government. More than 10,000 people were killed in the conflict, which also placed millions in danger of starvation and disease.
Saudi officials have not commented publicly on Sunday night’s attack. Saudi Arabia’s government is known to issue misleading or false statements about the performance of its air defense systems.
Send tips to will@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.