Saudi Says It Shot Down Houthi Missiles Over Riyadh and Southern Cities

A missile that the U.S. Department of Defense says is confirmed as a "Qiam" ballistic missile manufactured in Iran by its distinctively Iranian nine fueling ports and that the Pentagon says was fired by Houthi rebels from Yemen into Saudi Arabia on July 22, 2017 is seen on display at a military base in Washington, U.S. Dec. 13, 2017. Reuters/Jim Bourg

RIYADH–Saudi Arabia’s air defense forces intercepted three ballistic missiles fired at Riyadh and other cities on Wednesday by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis who have stepped up attacks recently, threatening to escalate a rivalry between Saudi Arabia and the Iranian regime.

Three rockets were shot down above the capital and the southern cities of Jizan and Najran, according to state media and the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis rebels in Yemen.