Houthi ballistic missile attack brings Yemen war to Riyadh's doorstep
Saudi Arabia confirmed that Yemen's Houthi rebels tried to strike Riyadh with a ballistic missile at dawn on Saturday — the first targeting of the capital since fighting escalated. The coalition says it intercepted the missile; an Aramco fuel depot near the airport caught fire.
Saudi Arabia confirmed on Saturday that Yemen’s Houthi rebels tried to strike its capital with a ballistic missile — the first targeting of Riyadh since fighting with the Iran-backed group escalated into a new front in the region’s wider conflict.
The Saudi-led coalition said its air defences intercepted and destroyed the missile at dawn. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki announced the interception on X.
An AFP journalist saw firefighters extinguishing a blaze on an Aramco-logo fuel tank at a fuel depot near Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, and AFP-verified footage showed a column of black smoke above airport buildings. Air-raid alerts sounded overnight in Riyadh and Al-Kharj before an all-clear was issued on Saturday morning, The Week reported. There were no reports of casualties or damage.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Telegram the group had carried out two operations with ballistic and cruise missiles and drones — targeting “sensitive sites” in Riyadh and Aramco facilities in the Red Sea port of Yanbu, in retaliation for Saudi strikes on Sanaa. The coalition said attempts against civilians and infrastructure in Bisha, Taif, Farasan and Yanbu were thwarted by air defences, Gulf News reported.
The attack follows the first civilian casualty of the renewed conflict on Thursday, when Saudi civil defence said debris from an intercepted Houthi drone killed a Yemeni resident of Saudi Arabia, The Hindu reported.
Sources
- Malay Mail: Houthi missile attack brings Yemen war back to Riyadh’s doorstep
- The Hindu: Saudi Arabia confirms Yemen’s Houthi rebels tried to attack its capital with ballistic missile
- NY Post: Saudi Arabia confirms Yemen’s Houthi rebels tried to attack its capital
- The Week: Flames, smoke seen near Riyadh airport as Houthis claim attacks on Saudi capital
- Gulf News: Saudi-led coalition says Houthis fired ballistic missile at Riyadh
- Haaretz: Saudi Arabia sounds alarm in capital city Riyadh
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