Saudi-Led Coalition Intercepts Houthi Ballistic Missile Targeting Riyadh

Saudi-led coalition forces fighting Yemen’s Houthis announced that the Iran-backed group fired a ballistic missile at Riyadh at dawn, which was successfully intercepted and destroyed.

Major-General Turki al-Maliki, the coalition forces spokesman, stated on X on Saturday that the Houthis also attempted to target civilians and civilian infrastructure in Bisha, Taif, Farasan, and Yanbu. He added that these attacks were thwarted by the Gulf monarchy’s air defences.

Overnight on Friday, Saudi Arabia warned of a “hostile aerial threat” and issued emergency alerts across the kingdom. On Saturday, at least one explosion was heard in Riyadh, and residents near King Khalid International Airport reported seeing a large plume of black smoke in the morning. Saudi authorities confirmed there were no casualties or damage.

This marks the first air raid alert sounded in Riyadh since fighting escalated with the Houthis in Yemen in July. The Saudi spokesman emphasized that the Houthis are intensifying their attempts to target civilians and civilian infrastructure in the capital, while affirming the coalition command’s right to take appropriate action in accordance with international humanitarian law.

Earlier on Saturday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree stated that Houthi fighters attacked sensitive sites in Riyadh as well as an Aramco oil facility in Yanbu using cruise and ballistic missiles, along with drones.

Yasmeen al-Eryani, executive director for knowledge production at the Sana’a Center think tank, noted to Al Jazeera that the Houthis appear to be determining the timelines and levels of the escalation.

Meanwhile, on the ground in Yemen, the armed forces of the Saudi-backed internationally recognised government reported thwarting a Houthi infiltration attempt in the al-Fuliahan sector in southern Marib on Saturday, resulting in 12 Houthi fighters killed and others injured. Additionally, the army reported that 13 Yemeni soldiers died during two days of clashes in the southwestern provinces of Taiz and Lahj.

Renewed combat is ongoing across Marib, Taiz, Lahj, al-Jawf, and al-Bayda as part of the military escalation that began in early July, representing the most intense fighting since the relative calm following the April 2022 truce. Al-Eryani explained that military options are currently limited due to the difficult mountainous terrain, suggesting that containing the group may be more realistic than defeating it militarily.