Saudi Arabia has shot down a ballistic missile launched toward the kingdom from Yemen.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Shia rebels in Yemen said Royal Saudi Air Defence Forces intercepted the missile at dawn as it headed toward the south-western Saudi region of Asir.

Coalition forces responded by targeting the launch platform inside Yemeni territory.

Saudi Arabia has been targeted with missile and artillery fire on a number of occasions since it intervened in Yemen's civil war last year in support of the country's internationally recognised government.

Riyadh and its allies are seeking to roll back gains by the rebels and forces loyal to a former president who have seized the capital, Sanaa, and other parts of the country.