No injuries in missile attack on Riyadh during Formula E weekend

Some loud bangs were heard above the circuit where the two Formula E races took place this weekend. It is believed to have been a missile attack intercepted by the Saudis. Although debris damaged a house, no one was injured.

Saudi Arabia, with its Patriot missiles, has the best anti-aircraft weaponry that the Americans have to offer, so in that sense no one has probably been in any real danger. But it does say a lot about the war situation in which the country finds itself.

Houthi rebels

One of the Saudi generals tells Al Jazeera that the Yemeni Houthis rebel movement is responsible for this attack. These rebels have in fact conquered a significant part of neighbouring Yemen since 2014. These are Shiite Muslims and therefore arch-enemies of Sunni Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia has been internationally criticised for its approach to the Houthis in Yemen. It has been bombing there ruthlessly for years. Due to the high number of civilian casualties, the United Nations even calls this the biggest humanitarian crisis at the moment.

Whether the Houthis' attack yesterday was aimed at Formula E, which Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also attended, is not entirely clear. In other cities in Saudi Arabia, rockets and some drones were also shot out of the sky that evening.