Coalition Forces Repel Houthi Missile and Drone Strike Targeting Riyadh and Khamis Mushayt

• The Houthi strike aimed at Riyadh and Khamis Mushayt.
• Defenses shot down two drones near Riyadh and destroyed two ballistic missiles en route to Khamis Mushayt.

Updated 3 min 58 sec ago

September 26, 2026 06:49

RIYADH: Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed two drones and two ballistic missiles launched by Yemen’s Iran‑backed Houthi militia toward the Kingdom early Saturday, the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen reported.
Coalition spokesman Col. Turki Al‑Maliki said in an X post at 4 a.m. local time that two drones aimed at the Riyadh area had been “intercepted and destroyed.”
About thirty minutes later, Al‑Maliki added that coalition air defenses had also “intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired by the terrorist Houthi militia toward Khamis Mushayt.”
Twenty minutes after that, he announced another missile headed for the southwestern city had likewise been intercepted and destroyed.
Saudi Civil Defense issued overnight alerts for Khamis Mushayt and Abha, two upland cities in the Asir region, but no alert was issued for Riyadh.
The latest strike follows a Houthi barrage two days earlier in which the coalition said it had shot down six ballistic missiles aimed at Yanbu and Taif, southeast of Makkah.
The Houthis, who control most of Yemen’s populated north, have intensified attacks on Saudi Arabia since declaring a naval blockade against the Kingdom in July, also targeting Saudi‑linked shipping in the Red Sea.
These assaults raise concerns over the security of Saudi cities and energy infrastructure, add pressure to global oil supplies amid the US‑Israeli tension with Iran, and jeopardize the Red Sea corridor for Gulf energy exports as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted.
Hours before Saturday’s attacks, the defense chiefs of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye met in Riyadh to discuss threats to the Kingdom and regional security.
The three nations signed the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement last month, stipulating that an armed attack against any one of them would be treated as an attack against all, with the goal of boosting collective deterrence and military cooperation.
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said early Saturday that he had reaffirmed with Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Asim Munir, their continued joint efforts to counter attacks on the Kingdom under the agreement.
France pledges military support for Yanbu
Also on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would send “military means” to help protect Yanbu, a vital Saudi port for oil exports, following the Houthi attacks.
“We are going to deploy military assets — soldiers, radars, and defense systems — to safeguard this site,” Macron said in an evening television interview.

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