Saudi Arabia Says Houthi Missiles Intercepted Over Riyadh
Saudi Arabia says it intercepted Houthi ballistic missiles over Riyadh and a drone in the Mecca region, while the Houthis deny targeting the holy city.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Saudi Arabia said its air defenses intercepted two ballistic missiles launched by Yemen's Houthi movement toward Riyadh, with falling debris injuring a civilian and damaging property, as the Saudi-led coalition separately reported destroying a drone in the Mecca region, an allegation the Houthis disputed.
The incidents came amid renewed exchanges of attacks between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis, including strikes on energy facilities, airports and areas of western Yemen. They have also raised concerns over civilian safety and the security of the kingdom's transport and oil infrastructure.
According to Saudi Civil Defense, teams in Riyadh were placed on alert after fragments from two long-range missiles fell in the capital. The missiles had been detected and destroyed in flight, the authority said. One civilian suffered minor injuries, while a home and a vehicle sustained damage. Emergency procedures were activated in response.
The Saudi-led coalition said Thursday that its defenses had intercepted the two ballistic missiles over Riyadh. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki attributed their launch to the Houthis, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
AFP correspondents heard at least eight explosions in the Saudi capital, where residents received a telephone alert warning of an aerial threat. Civil Defense also issued warnings for Riyadh, nearby Kharj and the southern city of Najran before lifting them.
Saudi authorities separately reported intercepting a cruise missile headed toward the country's western region. They did not provide further information in the accounts cited about the intended target or whether the interception caused damage.
Houthis Deny Targeting Mecca
On Friday, the coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone in the Mecca region. Al-Malki announced the interception on X, but Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree rejected the account, calling it "a massive and egregious fabrication," AFP reported.
In a separate statement reported by The Associated Press, Saree denied that the group had undertaken operations targeting Mecca, Islam's holiest city. He said Houthi military operations were directed at Saudi oil installations and military bases.
The Saudi statement located the drone interception in the wider Mecca region; it did not establish that the holy city itself had been targeted. Saudi Arabia has previously reported missiles and drones approaching the Mecca and Medina regions, while the Houthis have repeatedly denied attacking either holy city.
The Houthis also claimed operations against major Saudi infrastructure. Reuters, citing the group, reported that it identified an Aramco facility at Abqaiq, the airports in Riyadh and Dammam, and the Ras Tanura and Rabigh refineries among its targets. The accounts provided did not independently establish whether those sites were struck or damaged.
Renewed Fighting in Yemen
The latest exchanges follow the collapse over the summer of a years-long truce between the Houthis and Yemen's internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government. AFP reported that attacks have continued almost daily since the truce fell apart in July, following a dispute over an Iranian aircraft landing in Houthi-controlled Sanaa.
In Yemen, the Houthi-run health ministry said Thursday that Saudi strikes on homes in Al-Barah, in the Maqbana district, had killed 12 people and critically injured three others. The figures and attribution were Houthi claims.
The group had reported at least 14 deaths in strikes on a petrol station and a market the previous day, while a Houthi attack on the airport in Aden wounded civilians.
The intensifying conflict has had a wider humanitarian cost. United Nations figures cited by AFP put deaths in Yemen since fighting resumed at more than 1,600, with over 275,000 people displaced.
The renewed attacks have also affected Saudi civilian infrastructure. AFP reported that previous Houthi strikes on Riyadh's airport forced it to close for two weeks, disrupting travel and planned events.
For now, the Saudi accounts describe intercepted weapons and limited damage from debris in Riyadh, while the parties continue to dispute allegations concerning the Mecca region. The conflicting claims underline the importance of distinguishing confirmed interceptions from assertions about intended targets and the outcome of strikes.