Saudi-led coalition forces fighting Yemen’s Houthis say they have intercepted two missiles and two drones aimed at Riyadh. The coalition said the projectiles were allegedly launched by the Houthis, as fighting spreads across several front lines in Yemen.
Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said in a post on X early on Sunday that air defences had shot down two ballistic missiles fired at the Saudi capital. Earlier on Saturday, he said two suspected Houthi drones had been downed in the Riyadh and southern regions.
Missile and drone attacks on Saudi targets
Saudi authorities say at least 26 people have been killed in suspected Houthi drone and missile attacks in Saudi Arabia since September 23. The Houthis have repeatedly targeted King Khalid International airport in Riyadh. They have also struck the East-West pipeline and oil infrastructure in the eastern and southern parts of the kingdom.
Also read: Saudi air defences intercept Houthi missiles aimed at Riyadh · Saudi forces intercept Houthi missiles aimed at Riyadh
Fighting intensifies along Yemeni front lines
The interceptions came as Saudi-led forces backing Yemen’s internationally recognised government said they had stopped several drones heading for the city of Marib. Yemeni army spokesman Colonel Majid al-Nuzaili said government forces had made gains during heavy clashes in the al-Hazm and Madghal districts of al-Jawf.
Al-Nuzaili also claimed that 321 Houthi leaders had been killed or wounded in 723 targeted operations by Saudi-backed forces across the Taiz, Lahij, Marib and al-Jawf governorates. He added that 117 military vehicles used by the Iran-allied group had been destroyed. The coalition, according to the figures cited, carried out at least 37 air strikes, 56 drone attacks and 541 artillery strikes.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree gave a different account. He said the coalition had launched 72 air strikes against the Houthis in the Saada, Taiz, Lahij and al-Jawf governorates over the previous 24 hours. Saree also said the Houthis had fired ballistic missiles at Saudi-backed forces in the Kharaz area of Lahij.
Civilian harm and a US security warning
Media outlets affiliated with the Houthis reported that two women and two children were wounded by artillery shelling in a residential neighbourhood of the Shuaub district in Sanaa, the capital held by the Houthis. The International Organization for Migration says more than 340,000 people have been displaced by fighting in Yemen since August.
As the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis escalates, the US Embassy in Riyadh issued a nationwide security alert on Saturday. It urged Americans in the kingdom to exercise “heightened vigilance” because of a growing threat of Houthi attacks. The embassy said attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure had caused civilian casualties and severe travel disruption, and warned that hostilities could spread rapidly.
“Please take extreme caution if you choose to use airports in Saudi Arabia,” the embassy said.
