Yemen's Houthi rebels threaten to attack 'Saudi royal palaces'

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have threatened to attack royal palaces in Saudi Arabia, Andalou Agency report, as the Saudi-led coalition resumes a major operation against the group.

At a press conference in the Yemeni capital, Houthi spokesman Yahya Al-Sari warned Saudi civilians to stay away from the palaces of officials, which he said were now on the group's "list of military targets".

Sari said that "sensitive" sites were also on their radar, without offering further details.

Saudi authorities have yet to comment on the threat, which appears to be an escalation of previous warnings delivered by the Houthi spokesman.

Speaking to Houthi TV station Al-Masirah, Sari had earlier said that "military and government sites" would be targeted inside the kingdom.

"Our capabilities are better today than they were in the past, and we haven’t used all our power, capacities, and capabilities yet, and the enemy should realise this," he said.

On Thursday, the spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition, Turki Al-Maliki, said that the kingdom had launched a new operation against the Houthis in response to their launch of ballistic missiles and drones towards Saudi Arabia from Sanaa and their stronghold of Saada in northern Yemen.

"The terrorist leaders of the Houthi militia... will be pursued and held accountable. Targeting civilians and civilian facilities is a red line," Al-Maliki said.

Houthis said on Monday they had launched four ballistic missiles and eight drones at Saudi Arabia striking security and military bases, but the coalition said all projectiles were intercepted before hitting their targets.

Agencies contributed to this report.

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