The Saudi-led coalition says it has intercepted and destroyed two Houthi ballistic missiles launched towards the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in the latest escalation involving Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement.
Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki said the missiles were detected and intercepted before they could reach their intended targets. He also said another ballistic missile was launched towards Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia and was similarly intercepted.
The latest attacks come amid renewed tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, who have repeatedly targeted Saudi territory with missiles and drones during the wider conflict in Yemen.
The Houthis have carried out numerous cross-border attacks against Saudi Arabia since the Yemen war intensified in 2015, frequently targeting airports, military installations and other strategic sites.
Saudi Arabia has, in turn, led a military coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government against the Houthi movement.
The conflict has its roots in the Houthis’ takeover of large parts of Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened militarily the following year, triggering a prolonged conflict that has caused widespread destruction and one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Although a UN-brokered truce in 2022 significantly reduced large-scale cross-border attacks, tensions have remained high, with intermittent missile and drone incidents continuing to raise concerns about a broader regional escalation.
The latest interceptions also come as Saudi Arabia remains on heightened security alert following previous Houthi attacks on its territory and amid wider instability across the Middle East.
