President Donald Trump has blamed Iran for a missile attack on Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh, while on a tour of Asia.
Saudi Arabia's air defense forces intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen over the capital Riyadh on Saturday, state news agencies reported.
The missile was brought down near King Khaled Airport on the northern outskirts of the city and did not cause any casualties, said Saudi state-owned Al Ekhbariya TV.
Rocket fragments fell near the airport grounds, but air traffic carried on normally, the Saudi civil aviation authority announced.
Yemeni Houthi forces have fired missiles in the past at Saudi targets, some of which have been intercepted by anti-ballistic missile systems.
The missile fire drew a sharp response from President Donald Trump, who blamed Iran in part for the attack.
"A shot was just taken by Iran, in my opinion, at Saudi Arabia. And our system knocked it down," Trump said, referring to the Patriot missile batteries Saudi Arabia has purchased from the U.S.
"That's how good we are. Nobody makes what we make and now we're selling it all over the world", he told reporters on Air Force One, while flying to Japan.
The missile incident coincided with the sudden resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister, Saad Hariri who made a televised address while visiting Saudi Arabia, strongly condemning Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah for fomenting conflict in the region and endangering Lebanon’s peace and security.
At the same time, reports from Saudi Arabia speak of the arrests of dozens of influential Saudi princes and officials on corruption charges.
