An air defence system ​operated by Greek military ‌personnel in Saudi Arabia intercepted two ballistic missiles launched from Yemen ​on Saturday towards oil refineries in Yanbu, ​Greek security sources told Reuters.

Saudi ⁠Civil Defence had issued an emergency alert in ​Yanbu to warn residents of danger.

“The ​attack was launched with two ballistic missiles and targeted the refineries in ​Yanbu,” one of the ​sources said, adding that the missiles had been launched ‌from ⁠Yemen.

A second source confirmed the interception of the missiles.

Greece has deployed a U.S.-made Patriot air ​defence ​battery, operated ⁠by Greek personnel, in Saudi Arabia since ​2021 under an agreement ​to ⁠help protect the kingdom’s energy infrastructure. Saturday’s interception was the second time ⁠that ​Greek personnel had operated ​the system. (Reuters)

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North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea on Wednesday in its second launch event in two days, South Korea’s military said, hours after a senior North Korean official released crude insults against Seoul’s hopes for warmer relations.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles lifted off from North Korea’s eastern coastal Wonsan area and flew about 240 kilometres (150 miles) each in a direction toward the North’s eastern waters. It said South Korea maintains a readiness to repel any provocations by North Korea under a solid military alliance with the United States.

The South Korean military said it had also detected the launch of an unidentified projectile around North Korea’s capital region on Tuesday. It said South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities were analyzing details of Tuesday’s launch.

South Korean media reported the previous projectile, also likely a ballistic missile, disappeared from South Korean military radars after displaying an abnormal development in the initial launch stage. This indicated the launch ended in failure, according to the reports.

The back-to-back launches came after North Korea made it clear that it has no intentions of improving ties with South Korea, whose liberal government has steadfastly expressed its hopes to restore long-dormant dialogue.

On Tuesday night, Jang Kum Chol, first vice minister at Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry, said South Korea would always remain the North’s “most hostile enemy state.” He derided South Korea as “world-startling fools” engaged in wishful thinking over a recent statement by Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

After South Korean President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret over alleged civilian drone flights into North Korea, Kim Yo Jong late Monday praised him for what she called honesty and courage, but reiterated a threat to retaliate if such flights recur. South Korean officials responded by describing Kim Yo Jong’s statement as meaningful progress in relations.

Jang said her statement was intended as a warning. He cited Kim Yo Jong as calling South Korea “the dogs affected by mange that blindly bark to the tune of neighboring dogs” as she criticized it for recently co-sponsoring of a U.N. human rights resolution on the North’s purported human rights violations.

North Korea has refused to return to talks with South Korea and the U.S. and pushed to expand its nuclear arsenal since Kim Jong Un’s diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. In a ruling Workers’ Party congress in February, Kim Jong Un threatened to destroy South Korea, if provoked. He left open the door for dialogue with Trump but urged Washington to drop demands for the North’s nuclear disarmament as a precondition for talks.

Earlier this week, North Korea said Kim Jong Un had observed a test of an upgraded solid-fuel engine for weapons and called it a significant development boosting his country’s strategic military arsenal.

Missiles with built-in solid propellants are easier to move and conceal their launches than liquid-fuel weapons, which in general must be fueled before liftoffs and cannot last long.

South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers Monday the engine test was likely related to an effort to build a more powerful solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile that can carry multiple nuclear warheads, according to lawmakers who attended the meeting.

Experts say North Korea needs multi-warhead missiles to penetrate through U.S. missile defenses, but doubts the country has mastered a technology needed to acquire such a weapon. (AP)

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Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that the Islamic Republic has continued to produce missiles despite the war with Israel and the United States.

“Our missile industry deserves a perfect score… and there is no concern in this regard, because even under wartime conditions we continue missile production,” a senior Iranian official said on Thursday, according to the Fars news agency. 

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “Iran no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium and manufacture ballistic missiles”. (Roya News)

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Nuclear-armed India has tested its first hypersonic missile, the defence minister said on Sunday, publicising the superfast hi-tech weapon days after its regional rival China showcased its latest military aviation powers.

Hypersonics are the new frontier in missile technology, because they fly lower and are harder to detect than ballistic missiles, can reach targets more quickly, and can be ordered to change target in mid-flight.

The United States, Russia, China, and North Korea have all tested hypersonic missiles, and several others are developing the technology.

“India has achieved a major milestone by successfully conducting flight trial of long range hypersonic missile,” Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh said in a statement.

The test flight comes days after neighbour China showcased its expanding aviation capabilities at an air show in Zhuhai, with the J-35A stealth fighter jet and attack drones displayed.

That, according to China’s state media, included the debut of the HQ-19 surface-to-air missile system, designed to intercept ballistic missiles and hypersonic glide vehicles.

India’s missile blasted off from Abdul Kalam Island off the east coast on Saturday.

Video images released by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation, showed a slender missile blasting into the night sky followed by a surge of flames.

“This is a historic moment and this significant achievement has put our country in the group of select nations having capabilities of such critical and advanced military technologies,” Singh added.

No further details were given about the missile.

New Delhi has deepened its defence cooperation with Western countries in recent years, including in the Quad alliance with the United States, Japan, and Australia.

India is also a major buyer of Russian military hardware, including Moscow’s S-400 missile defence system – despite the threat of US sanctions over the multibillion-dollar deal. (SCMP)

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