Saudi-led coalition intercepts Houthi missile launched towards Riyadh | News
Saudi Coalition Intercepts Houthi Missile as Attacks on Riyadh Increase
The Saudi-led coalition announced Wednesday that it successfully intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthi movement toward Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. This action follows a series of recent assaults against the kingdom by the Yemeni armed group, which claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Major General Turki al-Maliki, the coalition’s spokesman, revealed the thwarted missile attack on the social media platform X, shortly after two strikes targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh over the weekend. Those attacks resulted in the deaths of 14 individuals and left more than 300 others injured.
In response to the escalating situation, the General Directorate of Saudi Civil Defence issued two alerts via its national early warning platform, later confirming that the immediate danger had passed. The alerts were directed at both Al-Kharj governorate and the capital.
The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, released a statement claiming responsibility for the attacks, stating their targets included facilities associated with Saudi Arabia’s national oil company, Aramco, in Dhahran, along with an Aramco refinery and the airport in Riyadh.
The Saudi Ministry of Energy confirmed that a strike hit an administrative building at the Aramco facility in Dhahran overnight.
Reports from Al Jazeera indicate that the recent surge in attacks has shattered any belief that the Saudi-led coalition could confine the conflict to Yemen. The last ten days have seen multiple locations within Saudi Arabia targeted.
In addition to the assaults on King Khalid International Airport, the Houthis have launched attacks on other airports, including Abha International Airport, where two individuals were killed.
In Yemen, Saudi-backed government forces have initiated a counteroffensive aimed at regaining coastal territory near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a key maritime trade route. The conflict between the Iran-aligned Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces has intensified sharply, breaking a United Nations-brokered ceasefire that had largely held since 2022.
The Houthis have maintained control over Yemen’s most populous regions, including the capital Sanaa, since their takeover in 2014, forcing the internationally recognized government to seek refuge in southern Yemen.
The Muslim World League condemned the ongoing Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, characterizing them as deliberate assaults on civilians and civil infrastructures. Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, the league’s secretary-general, described these actions as indicative of the “criminal approach” of the group.
In related news, Houthi-affiliated media reported that four airstrikes targeted the Harib district in Yemen’s Marib governorate; details regarding the outcomes of these strikes remain unclear.
Security and intelligence analyst Nawaf Obaid, a senior research fellow at King’s College London, noted that while airstrikes have intensified, the actual ground conflict for the Saudi-led coalition has yet to commence. Obaid elaborated on a phased approach to potential operations, suggesting that initial efforts would focus on disrupting the resources supporting Houthi operations, including targeting armored vehicles and supply trucks. Subsequent phases would involve assessing and reclaiming territories captured by the Houthis throughout the ongoing conflict, with specialized troops expected to engage in challenging mountainous terrain.
