Saudi air defences shot down three Houthi cruise missiles aimed at the Riyadh region on Wednesday, the Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Yemeni group said. It was the second day in a row that such launches were intercepted. The coalition said all three missiles were destroyed.
The Houthis, who control most of Yemen’s densely populated areas, have stepped up attacks on the Saudi capital in recent days. On Sunday, a Houthi strike damaged an Aramco administrative building in Riyadh’s financial hub. On Tuesday, the coalition reported intercepting a ballistic missile and a cruise missile aimed at the city.
Escalation since the Bab el-Mandeb advance
Last month, a Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 13 people and wounded more than 300. The renewed fighting has intensified since September, when the Houthis advanced toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping chokepoint at the southern entrance to the Red Sea.
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Since then, the Houthis have increased strikes on Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities. Saudi Arabia has responded by expanding airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.
