Saudi coalition intercepts Riyadh missiles early on Sunday, destroying two ballistic missiles fired toward the Saudi capital, the Saudi-led coalition said. Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said in a post on X that air defences “intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi terrorist militia towards Riyadh.”
Earlier on Saturday, al-Maliki said two suspected Houthi drones “were intercepted and destroyed” in the Riyadh and southern regions. The coalition said on Sunday it also shot down three drones in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern region, bringing the number of drones intercepted over the weekend to five.
Saudi coalition intercepts Riyadh attack as fighting grows
The interceptions came as fighting intensified across several front lines in Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition backs Yemen’s internationally recognised government in its war against the Houthis, an armed group also known as Ansar Allah. The Saudi coalition intercepts Riyadh missiles and drones as the Houthis step up cross-border attacks.
The Houthis have repeatedly targeted Riyadh’s King Khalid International airport, as well as the East-West pipeline and oil infrastructure in eastern and southern Saudi Arabia. At least 26 people have been killed in suspected Houthi drone and missile attacks in Saudi Arabia since September 23, according to the kingdom’s authorities.
Saudi coalition intercepts Riyadh drones after US warning
The Saudi coalition intercepts Riyadh missiles hours after the US Embassy in Riyadh issued a nationwide security alert on Saturday urging Americans in the kingdom to exercise “heightened vigilance,” citing an increased threat of Houthi attacks.
The embassy said Houthi attacks on airports and other critical infrastructure in Saudi Arabia had “caused civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions,” and warned that hostilities could spread “rapidly.” It told Americans: “Please take extreme caution if you choose to use airports in Saudi Arabia.”
Saudi coalition intercepts Riyadh attack amid Marib fighting
The coalition also said it intercepted several drones launched towards the Yemeni city of Marib. Yemeni army spokesman Colonel Majid al-Nuzaili said government forces had made gains against the Houthis during heavy fighting in the al-Hazm and Madghal districts of al-Jawf. The Saudi coalition intercepts Riyadh-bound weapons while its forces in Yemen press the fight around Marib.
Al-Nuzaili said 321 Houthi leaders had been killed or wounded in 723 targeted operations by Saudi-backed forces in the Taiz, Lahij, Marib and al-Jawf governorates, and that 117 military vehicles used by the Houthi group had been destroyed. The coalition carried out at least 37 air strikes and 56 drone attacks, as well as 541 artillery strikes.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group shot down an armed Saudi coalition reconnaissance aircraft carrying out “hostile operations in the airspace of al-Jawf,” the fifth aircraft the Houthis had shot down since the escalation began. Saree said the Saudi-led coalition had launched 72 air strikes against the Houthis in the Saada, Taiz, Lahij and al-Jawf governorates over the past 24 hours. The Saudi coalition intercepts Riyadh missiles with air defences that have been used repeatedly during the escalation.
Displacement rises as Yemen fighting continues
Smoke rose from the site of a ballistic missile strike attributed to the Houthis on the outskirts of the southern port city of Aden on November 13. Saree said the Houthis had used several Yemeni-made surface-to-air missiles to repel Saudi military formations, and that the aircraft shot down in al-Jawf was the fifth the group had downed since the escalation began. The fighting has spread across Marib and al-Jawf, where Saudi-backed forces and Houthi fighters have clashed for weeks.
The coalition’s weekend interceptions add to a long record of cross-border strikes. The Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa, have launched drones and missiles at Saudi targets during the war in Yemen, and the coalition has answered with air strikes inside Yemen.
More than 340,000 people have been displaced as a result of fighting in Yemen since August, according to the International Organization for Migration. Media outlets affiliated with the Houthis reported that two women and two children were injured by artillery shelling from Saudi-backed forces in a residential neighbourhood of the Shuaub district in Sanaa, the capital held by the Houthis.
The Saudi coalition intercepts Riyadh attack came as the Houthis said they had targeted Yemen’s Saudi-backed forces in the Kharaz area of the Lahij governorate with ballistic missiles.