[Anchor]
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have claimed that they fired ballistic missiles at targets including the international airport in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, resulting in numerous casualties. Sports events scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia are also experiencing disruptions, which is expected to affect the South Korean national football team as well.
Reporter Jeong Seong-jin has the details.
[Reporter]
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels stated in a statement that their ballistic missile attack against Saudi Arabia was successful.
A Houthi military spokesperson claimed that large-scale missile and drone attacks were carried out targeting Saudi oil facilities and the international airport in the capital, Riyadh.
The spokesperson further emphasized via social media that they successfully hit the Riyadh international airport with a missile and carried out precision strikes by launching three ballistic missiles at a Saudi military assembly area, resulting in a massive scale of casualties.
[Yahya Saree / Houthi Military Spokesperson: By the grace of God, the attack was carried out accurately, causing heavy damage and fires at the target sites.]
Saudi Arabia countered that it intercepted the missiles fired by the Houthi rebels toward the capital, reporting only that falling debris left one resident injured.
The Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi rebels have exchanged fierce battles over the past few days.
After the Houthis attacked the Riyadh international airport on October 10, causing around 300 casualties, the Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes on bases of the Yemen Petroleum Company, prompting the Houthis to retaliate once again.
As missiles fly as far as the Saudi capital, sports events scheduled to be held locally are running into setbacks.
An exhibition tennis match scheduled to take place immediately next week has been postponed to late December.
A red light has also turned on for the plans of the South Korean national football team, which had been pushing to visit Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries for away friendly matches in mid-next month.
Concerns are also rising over potential disruptions to the Asian Cup, which is set to open in Saudi Arabia on January 7 next year.
(Video Editing: So Ji-hye)
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