Yemen's Houthis on Tuesday claimed a ballistic missile attack on Saudi Arabia's defence ministry in Riyadh, just a day after the Mecca pact nations met in Iran to de-escalate the conflict.
"Our armed forces targeted the Ministry of Defence in the enemy Saudi capital, Riyadh, with a ballistic missile and the hit was direct," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree was quoted as saying in an AFP report, though the Gulf kingdom has yet to confirm these claims.
The report added that its correspondents had heard explosions in Riyadh earlier in the day.
He also claimed that the group had "targeted two military transport aircraft with ballistic missiles, one at the Najran airport and the other at the (King) Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait".
This comes despite the Monday meeting of nations under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement in Iran, which included Saudi defence minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistani armed forces chief Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin.
The three leaders had met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei to reduce tensions and promote dialogue amid the Houthi attacks that test the pact, which was signed in August.
Notably, an Israel Hayom report claimed that Saudi defence minister Prince Khalid bin Salman's surprise visit to Iran was also aimed at bringing forth a $1 billion deal with the Iran-backed proxy in exchange for a lasting ceasefire.
It added, citing a diplomatic source, that he had even brought the money with him when he arrived in Tehran for the meeting.
However, Iranian state television noted that the four countries had ended the talks without an agreement that the Houthis would halt their attacks, though the discussions on peace and security are slated to continue.
The four-way talks are touted as the last possible chance at dialogue before collective military aaction, for which Egypt has also pledged support.
