Riyadh, Rabi'II 29, 1439, January 16, 2018, SPA -- Spokesman of the coalition forces to support the legitimacy in Yemen Colonel Turki al-Maliki that at 08:12 this evening, the air defense forces detected the launch of a ballistic missile by the Huthi militias of Iran from within the territory of Yemen towards the territory of the kingdom. Colonel al-Maliki said that the missile was in the direction of the city of Jazan and was deliberately launched to target civilian and populated areas, was intercepted and destroyed by the Saudi Royal Air Defense Forces. Al-Maliki said that this hostile action by the Houthi group supported by Iran proves the continued involvement of the Iranian regime's support for the Huthi armed group with qualitative capabilities in clear and explicit defiance and violation of UN resolution 2216 and resolution 2231 in order to threaten the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the regional and international security. Firing ballistic missiles at populated cities and villages is contrary to international humanitarian law. Colonel al-Maliki renewed his call for the international community to take more serious and effective steps to stop the blatant Iranian violations of continued smuggling and transfer of ballistic missiles and weapons to terrorist groups and outlaws, and to hold it accountable for its support and blatant defiance of international norms and values and threat to regional and international security. --SPA 23:04 LOCAL TIME 20:04 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w589543