Saudis shoot down Yemeni missile over Jizan

Saudi air defence systems shot down a ballistic missile fired from Yemen, state media reported.

Warring parties in Yemen, where forces in a Saudi-led Arab coalition are trying to restore President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power, agreed a renewable seven-day ceasefire under United Nations auspices that started on Dec. 15.

But the truce has been repeatedly violated. Since it broke out in March, the conflict has killed nearly 6,000 people.

The missile, fired late on Monday night, was intercepted on a trajectory towards the Saudi city of Jizan, Saudi Arabia's state news agency SPA quoted a coalition spokesman as saying.

The Houthis said the Yemeni army loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh has fired six ballistic missiles in the past two days towards Saudi Arabia and areas in Yemen held by the Saudi-led coalition.

The coalition is trying to roll back gains made by the Houthis since they seized the capital Sanaa in September 2014.

The United Nations Special Envoy to Yemen has set up a mechanism to strengthen compliance with the ceasefire, a U.N. statement said earlier this week.

U.N. sponsored peace talks are due to resume on Jan. 14.