Saudi Arabia’s coalition said on Sunday it had shot down two ballistic missiles that Yemen’s Houthi movement launched toward Riyadh. Residents heard loud explosions in the Saudi capital around the same time.
Saudi Civil Defense issued an alert for the Riyadh region shortly before the blasts, a witness said. Authorities later said the danger had passed. The coalition then said it had also destroyed two cruise missiles aimed at Riyadh and the southern region.
Truce collapse and the wider regional war
The fighting has shattered a truce brokered by the UN in 2022. Saudi Arabia led an Arab coalition into Yemen in 2015 to restore the internationally recognised government after the Houthis seized Sanaa. The renewed clashes are now part of a wider Middle East war that began with US and Israeli attacks on Iran in February.
Also read: Saudi forces intercept Houthi missiles aimed at Riyadh
Attacks on Saudi sites and Yemen casualties
Since hostilities resumed in July, the Houthis have targeted Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities with missiles and drones. Saudi Arabia has carried out airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. A day earlier, the Houthi-run health ministry said Saudi strikes had killed at least 33 people near Sanaa. Saudi authorities said they were investigating.
