<p>US officials on Wednesday warned of a possible strike on Riyadh, as the Saudi-led coalition reported the interception of drones and a missile fired by Yemeni rebels towards the kingdom.</p>.<p>The Iran-linked Huthi rebels have stepped up attacks on neighbouring Saudi Arabia, mainly targeting southern provinces along their shared border.</p>.<p>The United States embassy in Riyadh warned American citizens in the capital to stay on "alert" and "take necessary precautions".</p>.<p>"The embassy is tracking reports of possible missiles or drones that may be headed toward Riyadh today," the embassy said in a statement on its website, without offering any details.</p>.<p>Huthi rebels have targeted Riyadh in the past with missiles and drones, with the coalition claiming to intercept most of them.</p>.<p>Riyadh lies some 700 kilometres (435 miles) north of the border with Yemen.</p>.<p>Hours after the embassy statement, the coalition said six bomb-laden drones launched by the rebels towards the kingdom had been intercepted, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.</p>.<p>It did not specify the target.</p>.<p>The rebels launched the drones "deliberately and systematically to target civilians" in the kingdom, said coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki.</p>.<p>The coalition also subsequently intercepted a rebel ballistic missile targeting southern Jizan province, and destroyed two other targets in the air, state television said.</p>.<p>Yemen is mired in civil war between the Iran-backed Huthi rebels -- who control the capital Sanaa but whose administration is not internationally recognised -- and a beleaguered government supported by a Saudi-led military coalition, assisted by Western powers including the US.</p>.<p>The attacks come amid intense fighting in recent months, as the Huthis try to seize control of Marib province, 120 kilometres (75 miles) east of Sanaa.</p>.<p>Saudi Arabia has repeatedly accused Iran of supplying sophisticated weapons to the Huthis, a charge Tehran denies.</p>.<p>The Huthi rebels have been fighting the government since 2014. The Saudi-led military coalition intervened in the conflict the following year.</p>.<p>Since then, tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed and millions displaced in what the United Nations has called the world's worst humanitarian disaster.</p>
<p>US officials on Wednesday warned of a possible strike on Riyadh, as the Saudi-led coalition reported the interception of drones and a missile fired by Yemeni rebels towards the kingdom.</p>.<p>The Iran-linked Huthi rebels have stepped up attacks on neighbouring Saudi Arabia, mainly targeting southern provinces along their shared border.</p>.<p>The United States embassy in Riyadh warned American citizens in the capital to stay on "alert" and "take necessary precautions".</p>.<p>"The embassy is tracking reports of possible missiles or drones that may be headed toward Riyadh today," the embassy said in a statement on its website, without offering any details.</p>.<p>Huthi rebels have targeted Riyadh in the past with missiles and drones, with the coalition claiming to intercept most of them.</p>.<p>Riyadh lies some 700 kilometres (435 miles) north of the border with Yemen.</p>.<p>Hours after the embassy statement, the coalition said six bomb-laden drones launched by the rebels towards the kingdom had been intercepted, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.</p>.<p>It did not specify the target.</p>.<p>The rebels launched the drones "deliberately and systematically to target civilians" in the kingdom, said coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki.</p>.<p>The coalition also subsequently intercepted a rebel ballistic missile targeting southern Jizan province, and destroyed two other targets in the air, state television said.</p>.<p>Yemen is mired in civil war between the Iran-backed Huthi rebels -- who control the capital Sanaa but whose administration is not internationally recognised -- and a beleaguered government supported by a Saudi-led military coalition, assisted by Western powers including the US.</p>.<p>The attacks come amid intense fighting in recent months, as the Huthis try to seize control of Marib province, 120 kilometres (75 miles) east of Sanaa.</p>.<p>Saudi Arabia has repeatedly accused Iran of supplying sophisticated weapons to the Huthis, a charge Tehran denies.</p>.<p>The Huthi rebels have been fighting the government since 2014. The Saudi-led military coalition intervened in the conflict the following year.</p>.<p>Since then, tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed and millions displaced in what the United Nations has called the world's worst humanitarian disaster.</p>