Saudi Arabia says Houthi missile targeting Riyadh intercepted

Saudi Arabia said its air defenses intercepted a ballistic missile fired at Riyadh at dawn Saturday, marking the first attempted strike on the capital since fighting with Yemen’s Houthis sharply escalated and opened a new front in the conflict involving Iran.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said the missile was intercepted and destroyed. Residents in Riyadh heard at least one explosion, and people near the airport later reported seeing a large plume of black smoke. Saudi authorities reported no casualties or damage.

Coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said the Houthis also attempted to target civilians and civilian infrastructure in Yanbu, Taif, Bisha and Farasan, and that the attacks were thwarted by Saudi air defenses. NPR reported the coalition also referred to Baysh in its statement. Yanbu, a Red Sea port city, is where a key Saudi pipeline ends.

Earlier Saturday, the Houthis claimed they had attacked “sensitive” sites in Riyadh and facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco in Yanbu. Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the group used cruise and ballistic missiles as well as drones, and claimed the strikes caused “massive fires.” The Houthis did not provide evidence for the claims, and they could not be independently verified. Aramco did not respond to a request for comment, NPR reported.

Saudi Arabia had warned of a “hostile aerial threat” and issued emergency alerts across the kingdom overnight Friday, according to Al Jazeera. It was the first air raid alert sounded in Riyadh since the latest escalation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia began in July.

Al-Maliki said the Houthis were escalating attempts to target civilians and civilian infrastructure in the capital. He said the coalition command reserved the right to take “appropriate” action to deter the Houthis, in line with international humanitarian law.

The attempted Riyadh strike followed several days of escalating attacks and accusations. On Thursday, Saudi civil defense authorities said debris from an intercepted Houthi drone killed a Yemeni resident of Saudi Arabia, the first reported civilian casualty in the latest escalation. On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a Houthi drone targeting Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, calling the security of the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad a “red line.” The Houthis denied that accusation.

The United States, a close Saudi ally, has indicated it has no current fight with the Houthis. Regional officials told The Associated Press that Saudi Arabia is running low on missile interceptors and has asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt for air defense support.

Fighting also has intensified inside Yemen between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government. Government forces said Saturday they thwarted a Houthi infiltration attempt in the al-Fuliahan sector of southern Marib, killing 12 Houthi fighters and wounding others, Al Jazeera reported. The army also said 13 Yemeni soldiers were killed in two days of clashes with Houthi forces in Taiz and Lahj.

Renewed clashes are taking place in Marib, Taiz, Lahj, al-Jawf and al-Bayda as part of the most intense escalation since relative calm followed an April 2022 truce, Al Jazeera reported. NPR reported that Houthi forces recently seized the port city of Mokha and islands on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, improving their surveillance of passing ships. The Houthis have said they are targeting only Saudi vessels.

Jordan, the United Nations and the Gulf Cooperation Council condemned the attacks. Jordan’s Foreign Ministry called them a “blatant violation,” and spokesperson Fouad Majali said Jordan stood in “absolute solidarity” with Saudi Arabia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and GCC Secretary-General Jassim al-Budaiwi condemned the targeting of civilian objects and threats to regional security and stability on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.