Nuclear security

Saudis building their own ballistic missiles, report says

Saudi Arabia has built a factory to make its own ballistic missiles, according to a report, the latest sign of the kingdom's ramped-up efforts to arm itself against a threat from Iran.

An expert with the Middlebury Institute in Washington D.C. said on it appears the Saudis have built the base at a location near al-Watah, not far from the capital city of Riyadh.

David Schmerler, who helped discover the Saudi base, told Al-Jazeera in an interview that a site already known to be associated with a missile base had recently been built up, and now houses buildings that would be used in the testing and production of solid fuel ballistic missile.

"Saudi Arabia does not have any other large-scale solid fuel production facilities in the country, so this would be a significant leap forward for them," Schmerler reportedly said.

The existence of a ballistic missile program would beg the question about the Saudis desire or capability to arm the missiles with nuclear weapons. The kingdom doesn't currently have nuclear weapons, though Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has spoken of his desire to have them, according to reports.