Saudi-led coalition intercepts two missiles and two drones targeting Riyadh
Saudi-led coalition forces fighting Yemen’s Houthis said they intercepted two ballistic missiles and two drones aimed at Riyadh, as fighting intensified on several fronts inside Yemen. Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said on X early Sunday that air defences destroyed two ballistic missiles launched toward the Saudi capital by what he called the Houthi terrorist militia. On Saturday he said two suspected Houthi drones were intercepted and destroyed over Riyadh and southern Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities say at least 26 people have been killed in suspected Houthi drone and missile attacks in the kingdom since September 23. The Houthis have repeatedly targeted Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, the East-West pipeline, and oil infrastructure in eastern and southern Saudi Arabia.
The interceptions came as Saudi-led forces backing Yemen’s internationally recognised government also said they shot down several drones headed toward Marib. Yemeni army spokesman Colonel Majid al-Nuzaili said government forces had made gains in heavy fighting in the al-Hazm and Madghal districts of al-Jawf as clashes intensified in Marib. He said 321 Houthi leaders were killed or wounded in 723 targeted operations by Saudi-backed forces in Taiz, Lahij, Marib and al-Jawf, and that 117 military vehicles used by the Iran-allied rebel group were destroyed. The coalition carried out at least 37 air strikes, 56 drone attacks and 541 artillery strikes. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the coalition launched 72 air strikes in Saada, Taiz, Lahij and al-Jawf over 24 hours, and that Houthis fired ballistic missiles at Saudi-backed forces in the Kharaz area of Lahij. Houthi-affiliated media reported that two women and two children were injured by artillery from Saudi-backed forces in a residential neighbourhood of Sanaa’s Shuaub district.
The International Organization for Migration said more than 340,000 people have been displaced by fighting in Yemen since August. The US Embassy in Riyadh issued a nationwide security alert on Saturday urging Americans to exercise heightened vigilance over an increased threat of Houthi attacks, saying strikes on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure had caused civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions, that hostilities could spread rapidly, and that travellers should use extreme caution at Saudi airports.
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