Four Saudi officers killed in Asir gun attack

Four Saudi officers were shot dead and four others wounded on Thursday when their check post came under gunfire in southern Asir province, state media said citing the interior ministry.

Three officers were instantly killed when the outpost came under attack, the Saudi Press Agency reported, without specifying who was behind it.

Local authorities apprehended two suspects and a third opened fire as he tried to escape, killing the fourth officer.  

Authorities did not name the suspects, but the Islamic State group has claimed a series of bombings and shootings against Shias and security forces in the Sunni-majority kingdom since 2014.

Saudi Arabia is a member of the US-led international coalition that has helped battle the extremist group in Syria and Iraq.

Last November, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman vowed to "pursue terrorists until they are wiped from the face of the earth" as he presided over the first meeting of an Islamic counter-terrorism alliance involving around 40 Muslim countries.

But the kingdom has also been embroiled in a long-running and controversial conflict with its southern neighbour since it created a military coalition to fight back Houthi rebels in Yemen in March 2015.

Since then, the kingdom has been attempting to roll back Houthi rebels in Yemen and restore the country's internationally-recognised government to power.

On Monday, the Saudi-led coalition a series of missiles fired at Saudi Arabia reportedly by Houthi rebels were intercepted.

The missile was fired in the direction of the southern Saudi city of Najran and was aimed at civilians, Maliki said, repeating accusations that Iran has been supplying the Houthis with the missiles.

The air force intercepted the missiles before they managed to hit their targets but some remains landed on residential areas, Maliki added.

Earlier on Monday, the Saudi-led coalition warned the Houthi rebels of a "painful" response if they mounted new attacks on Saudi Arabia, using what it said were Iran-supplied drones. 

Yemen's Houthi rebels have said their recent cross-border barrage marked the launch of what their leadership has dubbed "the year of ballistics".