An Egyptian national was killed by shrapnel in Saudi Arabia on Sunday when Saudi forces shot down seven ballistic missiles launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.

Saudi air-defence forces say they intercepted three missiles aimed at the capital Riyadh and four others fired at the southern cities of Khamis Mushait, Najran and Jizan, according to Colonel Turki Al-Malki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.

Shrapnel from the missiles fell on residential areas in Riyadh, killing an Egyptian resident and wounding two other Egyptians, the SPA quoted Al-Malki as saying.

"This hostile action and indiscriminate action by the Iran-backed Houthi group proves the continued involvement of the Iranian regime in supporting the armed Houthi group with qualitative capabilities," Al-Malki said.

"The firing of multiple ballistic missiles towards populated cities contravenes international human laws and ... is a serious development."

The Saudi-led coalition launched an airstrike campaign in Yemen in March 2015 to fight Iran-backed Houthi rebels after they seized parts of Yemen, including the capial Sanaa and forced President Abd Rabbu Mansour Al-Hadi to flee.

The Saudi military says the Houthis have fired dozens of missiles into Saudi Arabia since last year, all of which were intercepted.