Saudi Arabia Intercepts 'Hostile Target' Over Capital

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RIYADH - Saudi Arabia intercepted a "hostile target" over Riyadh Saturday, said state media in the kingdom, which has come under repeated attack from Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels since 2015. An explosion was heard in the Saudi capital at about 11:00 am (0800 GMT), AFP correspondents reported. "I heard a loud sound and thought that something had fallen from the sky," said one resident, who lives in the Al-Sulaimaniyah district of Riyadh. "The whole house was shaking." The Saudi-led coalition, which backs Yemen's internationally recognized government against the Houthis, said it had "intercepted and destroyed a hostile air target going towards Riyadh," without elaborating, according to state-run Al Ekhbariya television station.

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Saudi Arabia has been repeatedly targeted by the Houthis since its intervention in the Yemen war in 2015. It is rare, however, for drones and missiles launched by the Houthis to reach the kingdom's capital — about 700 kilometers (435 miles) from the Yemeni border.

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According to the new U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken, the Biden administration will quickly revisit the designation of Yemen's Houthi rebels as terrorists. At his confirmation hearing Tuesday, Blinken said he would "immediately" review the Trump administration's labeling of the insurgents, fearing the move was worsening a humanitarian crisis.

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