Saudi air defenses successfully intercepted and neutralized a ballistic missile and drone attack launched by the Iran-backed Houthi militia early Saturday, the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen announced.
At 4 a.m. local time, Coalition Forces spokesman Col. Turki Al-Maliki posted on X confirming that two drones launched toward the Riyadh area were “intercepted and destroyed.” In a subsequent post 30 minutes later, he stated that air defenses had also “intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the terrorist Houthi militia towards Khamis Mushayt.”
The Saudi Civil Defense had issued overnight alerts for the upland cities of Khamis Mushayt and Abha, located in the southwestern province of Asir, though no alerts were issued for the capital.
The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen and much of the north, have been launching attacks against Saudi Arabia since declaring a naval blockade against Riyadh in July, with strikes also targeting Saudi vessels in the Red Sea. These ongoing attacks have targeted Saudi cities, energy infrastructure, and shipping, adding to pressures on global oil supplies caused by the US-Israeli conflict with Iran and putting at risk the main alternative Red Sea route for Gulf exports while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains largely blocked.