At least three loud blasts were heard and three clouds of smoke could be seen in the sky above the center of Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh on Wednesday, according to Reuters witnesses.  Saudi Arabia’s air defense forces intercepted at least three ballistic missiles fired at Saudi cities by Yemen’s Houthis, who claimed to have targeted the defense ministry in Riyadh and a Saudi Aramco distribution facility in Najran on Wednesday.

Three rockets were intercepted in the capital and the southern cities of Jizan and Najran, according to state media and the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The attacks mark the fourth time in five months that missiles have flown over Riyadh, as the Houthis step up efforts to demonstrate they can reach the Saudi capital, threatening to escalate a regional rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia. READ MORE