On November 30, the Yemeni Missile Forces loyal to the Houthis announced that it has tasted a new medium range ballistic missile. According to the statement a Saudi Army military base was successfully targeted with the missile as part of the test.
However, Colonel Turki al-Maliki spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen announced that the Royal Saudi Air Defense (RSADF) had successfully intersepted the ballistic missile over the city of Khamis Mushait in southern Saudi Arabia, only 110km away from the border with Yemen.
A video published by Saudi activists showed the RSADF firing at least one MIM-104 Patriot air defense missile from a position in Khamis Mushait to intercept the Houthis ballistic missile. Other local sources confirmed that the missile was successfully intercepted before hitting a military base in Khamis Mushait and released a video of the missile wreckage.
The Houthis had launched dozens of ballistic missiles against Saudi Arabia since the beginning of the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen in 2015. The Saudi-led coalition officially accused Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah of supplying ballistic missiles to the Houthis after a long range ballistic missile was fired on the Saudi capital Riyadh by the Houthis on November 4.
The test of the new ballistic missile will likely increase the tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and intensify the Saudi aerial campaign against the Houthis in Yemen.