Saudi coalition intercepts missiles over Riyadh after pipeline hit
Saudi Arabia’s coalition said on Tuesday it intercepted two missiles fired toward Riyadh and a third aimed at the south of the kingdom, hours after a strike on a key oil pipeline. Spokesperson Major-General Turki al-Maliki, posting on X, said a ballistic missile and a cruise missile were destroyed over the capital and a second ballistic missile was downed over the southern region. He blamed Iran-backed Houthis. AFP reported multiple explosions in Riyadh, and residents received civil-defence texts to take shelter because of an “aerial threat”; a later message said the danger had passed. The Houthis made no immediate comment.
The interceptions fit a wider pattern of attacks on Saudi Arabia as fighting continues in Yemen between the Houthis and the internationally recognised government, which the Saudi-led coalition backs with air strikes. Houthis have repeatedly targeted Saudi oil infrastructure, including refineries and storage, with drones and missiles.
On Monday the East-West oil pipeline in the Medina region was hit again. A Saudi Energy Ministry official told the state-run SPA news agency the strike caused a “limited fire” that was extinguished and that pipeline operations were unaffected. The line is a vital export route because of Tehran’s restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz after the US-Israel war against Iran, and it has been attacked several times as that war fuels a global energy crisis. On Sunday the Houthis said they attacked Riyadh’s business district; Saudi officials said falling debris from an “attempted attack” caused minor damage to the Aramco Tower. SPA images showed the deputy governor of the Riyadh region and other officials inspecting the building, with damage visible on several floors.
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