Saudi coalition says it intercepted Houthi missile and drone barrage aimed at Riyadh and the south

The Saudi-led coalition said on Sunday it intercepted a fresh wave of Houthi missiles and drones aimed at Riyadh and southern Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported.

The coalition said two drones and a ballistic missile were launched towards Riyadh, and a cruise missile towards the southern city of Khamis Mushait. It later said it had intercepted ten ballistic missiles fired towards southern Saudi Arabia.

Saudi civil defence authorities issued emergency alerts on Sunday for Riyadh and the cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran, before saying minutes later that the danger had passed.

The barrage came as King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh partially resumed operations on Sunday, with Terminal 1 designated for domestic flights and Terminal 2 for international flights operated by national carriers. Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 nevertheless showed little traffic at the airport on Sunday. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree had renewed a warning early on Sunday that the airport remained a “military target” and would “never be safe” for airlines, staff and travellers.

The airport had halted operations on 10 October following an attack claimed by the Houthis that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, the deadliest in the kingdom in more than a decade. The coalition said earlier this month that the Houthis had carried out 20 attacks on the airport between 1 and 11 October.

The Houthis said they attacked the airport and Saudi oil facilities on Saturday. Saudi authorities did not comment directly on the Houthi statements.

Saudi Arabia has stepped up its strikes against the Houthis after the group seized strategic territory along the Red Sea coast last month, closing in on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The renewed fighting has shattered a United Nations-brokered truce that had largely held since 2022. Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen’s civil war in 2015 at the head of a coalition supporting the internationally recognised government, after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, a year earlier.

Sources:

• Reuters via The Jerusalem Post: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-912766
• The Times of Israel: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/saudis-say-they-intercepted-10-houthi-ballistic-missiles/
• Yeni Safak: https://en.yenisafak.com/world/saudi-coalition-intercepts-10-houthi-missiles-targeting-south-3724791