Houthis claim to fire 'advanced' missile at S. Arabia

SANAA, Yemen

Yemen's Houthi rebels on Thursday announced the launch of a long-range ballistic missile on a military target in eastern Saudi Arabia.

In a statement, rebel spokesman Yahya Sarei said the "advanced missile was launched towards an important military target" in the city of Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

He touted the launch as showing the rebels' "missile power."

Sarei went on to call foreign companies and the public to "move away" from military targets, without elaborating.

There was no immediate comment from the Saudi side or its coalition on the apparent escalation in the conflict.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

*Writing by Ali Abo Rezeg;