Saudi-led coalition says defences intercept Houthi missile fired at Riyadh

This was the first time an alert was sounded in Riyadh since an escalation between the Houthis in Yemen and the Saudis.Saudi-led coalition forces fighting Yemen’s Houthis have said that the Iran-backed group fired a ballistic missile at Riyadh at dawn before it was intercepted and destroyed.“The Houthis also attempted to target civilians and civilian infrastructure in Bisha, Taif, Farasan and Yanbu,” coalition forces spokesperson Major-General Turki al-Maliki wrote on X on Saturday, adding that the attacks were thwarted by the Gulf monarchy’s air defences.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of launching 26 attacks in 24 hourslist 2 of 4Could US pull one-third of troops from Europe? What that would meanlist 3 of 4US lifts sanctions on Eritrea ‘to advance US regional interests’ in Red Sealist 4 of 4Iran says conditions to re-engage in talks, end war sent to US via Qatarend of listSaudi Arabia warned of a “hostile aerial threat” and issued a string of emergency alerts across the kingdom overnight on Friday.On Saturday, at least one explosion was heard in Riyadh, with residents near the airport saying they saw a large plume of black smoke later in the morning. Saudi authorities reported no casualties or damage.It was the first air raid alert sounded in Riyadh since an escalation in fighting with the Houthis in Yemen began in July.The Saudi spokesperson said that the Houthis are escalating their attempts to target civilians and civilian infrastructure in the capital. He also affirmed the coalition command’s right to take “appropriate” action to deter the Houthis, in accordance with international humanitarian law.Earlier on Saturday, Houthi fighters in Yemen said they attacked “sensitive” sites in Riyadh as well as an Aramco oil facility in the western coastal city of Yanbu, according to a statement shared by Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree.Saree said the Houthis attacked Saudi Arabia with cruise and ballistic missiles as well as drones.“You could see that the Houthis are determining the timelines and the levels of the escalation,” Yasmeen al-Eryani, executive director for knowledge production at the Sana’a Center think tank, told Al Jazeera. “So, depending on the current situation, it seems that the Houthis are the ones in control,” she added.