Missiles fired in North Korea, Saudi Arabia
29/03/2020
Reuters
Kim Jong-un. Photo credit: Reuters
North Korea has fired an unidentified projectile into the ocean off its east coast, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, without providing further details.
If confirmed as a ballistic missile, it would be the fourth such launch this month as North Korean troops conduct ongoing military drills, usually personally overseen by leader Kim Jong-un.
The last test launch was on March 21. Based on photographs released by North Korean state media, analysts identified those weapons as KN-24 ballistic missiles.
This month's military drills have been conducted despite a border lockdown and quarantine measures imposed in North Korea in an effort to prevent an outbreak of the new coronavirus.
The politically and economically isolated country has not reported any confirmed cases, though some foreign experts have raised doubts over that. S In military drills at the beginning of the month, North Korean soldiers around Kim were seen wearing protective face masks, but in photos of the March 21 drill, those masks were gone.
And ballistic missiles have been intercepted in the sky above Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh and the southern city of Jazan, state media report, citing its own sources and the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.
Residents in Riyadh reported multiple blasts around 11:20pm local time on Saturday, followed by emergency vehicle sirens in some northern districts.
The source of the projectiles was unclear and there was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis battling the Saudi-led coalition have launched hundreds of missiles and drones across the border, mostly at nearby military and civilian targets but also at Riyadh. The last attempted strike on the capital was in June 2018.
Saudi Arabia blamed Iran for a September 2019 drone and missile attack on two oil installations that initially halved Saudi oil output, even after the Houthis claimed responsibility. Tehran denies involvement.
The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen's civil war in 2015 to try to restore the internationally-recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, ousted by the Houthis in 2014.
Tens of thousands of people have died in the conflict that is widely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Poster Comment:
Saudi Arabia has always been a big buyer of U.S. military equipment since the mid-70s. ;)