Saudi Arabia says it shot down Scud missile fired from Yemen

FILE - In this April 16, 2015, file photo, Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, chant slogans during a demonstration against an arms embargo imposed by the U.N. Security Council on Houthi leaders, in Sanaa, Yemen. Saudi Arabia shot down a Scud missile early Saturday, June 6, 2015, fired into the Sunni kingdom by Yemen's Shiite rebels and their allies, the country's official news agency reported, marking what could be a major escalation in the monthslong war. A Patriot missile battery shot down the Scud around 2:45 a.m. Saturday around the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait, the official Saudi Press Agency reported. The agency blamed Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, and their allies in forces loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed, File) FILE - In this April 16, 2015, file photo, Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, chant slogans during a demonstration against an arms embargo imposed by the U.N. Security Council on Houthi leaders, in Sanaa, Yemen. Saudi Arabia shot down a Scud missile early Saturday, June 6, 2015, fired into the Sunni kingdom by Yemen's Shiite rebels and their allies, the country's official news agency reported, marking what could be a major escalation in the monthslong war. A Patriot missile battery shot down the Scud around 2:45 a.m. Saturday around the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait, the official Saudi Press Agency reported. The agency blamed Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, and their allies in forces loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed, File)

By Associated Press June 6, 2015 3 min read

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) – Saudi Arabia shot down a Scud missile early Saturday fired into the Sunni kingdom by Yemen’s Shiite rebels and their allies, the country’s official news agency reported, marking what could be a major escalation in the monthslong war.

A Patriot missile battery shot down the Scud around 2:45 a.m. Saturday (2345 GMT, 7:45 p.m. EDT) around the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait, the official Saudi Press Agency reported. The agency did not report any casualties in the attack.

Saudis on social media reported hearing air raid sirens go off around the city during the attack.

The agency blamed Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, and their allies in forces loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Saudi Arabia leads a coalition targeting the rebels in airstrikes that began March 26 in support of the country’s exiled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Those strikes have targeted arms cache and other Scud missile sites around the country.