RIYADH

Saudi air defenses on Thursday intercepted a missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebel group into the kingdomn, according to a Saudi media reports.

The missile was fired toward Saudi Arabia’s southwestern Jizan province, the Saudi television news channel Al-Ekhbariya reported.

The broadcaster did not provide further details.

It was the second Houthi missile to be intercepted over the last week.

Yemen has been wracked by conflict since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country.

The conflict escalated one year later when Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a wide-ranging military campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains in Yemen.

Riyadh accuses the rebel group of serving as a proxy force for Shia Iran, Saudi Arabia’s arch-foe in the region.

Reporting by Hussein Mahmoud Ragab Elkabany and Zeynep Hilal Karyagdi; Writing by Cansu Dikme