RIYADH, DEC 19 (DNA) – Saudi Arabia said it shot down a ballistic missile Tuesday over Riyadh fired from Yemen by Houthi rebels, who announced that the target was the official residence of King Salman.

The audacious attack aimed at the heart of Saudi power follows the downing of another missile last month near Riyadh airport that triggered the tightening of a Saudi-led blockade on hunger-stricken Yemen.

For the past three years Saudi Arabia has led a military campaign involving air strikes and ground troops against the Houthis, who seized the Yemeni capital from the internationally recognised government in 2014.

An correspondent in Riyadh heard a loud explosion at 1050 GMT, shortly before King Salman was due to oversee the unveiling of the Saudi annual budget.

“The missile was aimed at populated residential areas in the Riyadh area, and — thank God — was intercepted and destroyed south of Riyadh without any casualties,”.