The Saudi-led coalition operating in Yemen announced Monday the destruction of two ballistic missile launch platforms in the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa. According to the coalition, one of the launchers had been used to fire a missile toward Riyadh that was intercepted by Saudi air defenses.
Coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki confirmed the operation in posts on X, stating that forces had successfully neutralized the two launch platforms.
“Operations continue to dismantle the terrorist Houthi militia’s ballistic missile network,” Al-Maliki added in a subsequent post.
The retaliatory strikes came after Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed an incoming ballistic missile targeting Riyadh overnight, the coalition reported.
Residents of the Saudi capital received Civil Defense alerts on their mobile phones at 3:42 a.m. local time warning of an “aerial threat.” A follow-up notification minutes later confirmed the threat had been neutralized.
Al-Maliki later verified that a ballistic missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi militia toward Riyadh had been intercepted and destroyed.
The escalation occurs amid an intensifying campaign of Houthi missile and drone attacks against the Kingdom, with projectiles targeting the capital, southern cities, and western regions, including areas near the holy city of Makkah.
On Sunday, authorities reported that debris from two intercepted ballistic missiles injured a Saudi citizen and an Asian expatriate in Khamis Mushayt and Ahad Rafidah. A Civil Defense spokesperson stated that three residential buildings and seven vehicles sustained damage.
Those incidents followed Saturday’s interceptions, during which missile debris fell across several locations in western Saudi Arabia. Debris landed in Wadi Al-Mughammas, roughly 20 kilometers from the Grand Mosque in Makkah, as well as in Jeddah’s Al-Nuzha district, Wadi Jalil in Taif, and the Masturah Center in Rabigh governorate. No casualties were reported from those impacts.
On Sunday, the coalition said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed two drones and a ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh, along with a cruise missile targeting the southern city of Khamis Mushayt. The coalition subsequently announced the interception of 10 ballistic missiles fired toward southern Saudi Arabia.
The barrage followed a wave of attacks on Saturday involving ballistic missiles directed at Taif, Yanbu, and Riyadh, in addition to a drone targeting the Eastern Region, according to coalition statements.
Attacks raise concerns over holy sites
The repeated attacks directed at western Saudi Arabia have heightened concerns regarding the security of Islam’s holiest sites.
Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, President of Religious Affairs at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, condemned the Houthi strikes targeting the Makkah and Madinah regions on Sunday. He described the security and sanctity of the Two Holy Mosques as a “red line that must not be breached.”
In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, Al-Sudais said the attacks demonstrated the militia’s hostile intentions toward Muslims and their sacred places, characterizing the strikes as violations of Shariah principles protecting holy sites and of international humanitarian norms.
Saudi air defenses have continued to intercept incoming missiles and drones as the Houthis intensify cross-border attacks targeting civilian areas, airports, and energy infrastructure.
The renewed offensive coincided with the partial reopening of Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Sunday, following a deadly strike on Oct. 10 that killed 13 people and injured more than 300, according to previous reports.
Airport officials stated that Terminal 1 had resumed limited domestic operations, while Terminal 2 handled international flights operated by national carriers. Authorities advised passengers to confirm travel arrangements before heading to the airport.
The latest interception and the destruction of the launchers in Sanaa underscore the persistent threat posed by the Houthis’ missile network as Saudi forces work to prevent further attacks on the Kingdom.