Saudi Arabia intercepted another ballistic missile targeting its capital, Riyadh, on Monday, as escalating attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militia prompted fresh military operations against rebel positions.
Saudi authorities issued an emergency alert to residents before confirming that the threat had passed. The Saudi-led coalition said it had destroyed missile launchers and other Houthi military infrastructure in Yemen, while the rebels claimed responsibility for attacks on Riyadh’s airport and the kingdom’s strategic oil facilities.
The Saudi-led coalition said a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis towards Riyadh was intercepted and destroyed in mid-air. The incident prompted an early-morning warning to residents of the Saudi capital.
Residents received a Civil Defense alert on their mobile phones at 3:42am local time, warning of a potential aerial threat. A subsequent alert issued minutes later informed residents that the danger had passed.
Major General Turki Al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, confirmed the interception and announced that coalition forces had destroyed two ballistic missile launch platforms in the Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa.
One of the launchers was reportedly used in the attack directed at Riyadh.
“Operations continue to dismantle the terrorist Houthi militia’s ballistic missile network,” Al-Maliki said in a post on X.
The coalition said the operation was intended to counter repeated Houthi attacks and attempts to target civilians. It added that its military action complied with international law, international humanitarian law and customary rules.
Saudi-led coalition destroys Houthi missile infrastructure
Saudi Arabia subsequently announced a broader military operation against Houthi positions in Yemen, targeting facilities used to store and launch ballistic missiles.
According to Al-Maliki, coalition forces destroyed five tunnels used to store ballistic missiles, four missile-launching platforms and a missile storage facility.
The operation also targeted Houthi defensive installations along front lines inside Yemen, concentrations of fighters, military equipment and supply lines.
The coalition said it would continue taking what it described as deterrent operational measures to eliminate threats posed by the militia and protect civilians in Saudi Arabia.
The latest operation follows a series of missile and drone attacks on Saudi territory, with the coalition stepping up its response as the security situation deteriorates across Yemen and the wider region.
Houthis claim attacks on Riyadh airport and oil facilities
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they had attacked Saudi Arabia’s East-West crude oil pipeline pumping stations and Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. Saudi authorities had not immediately confirmed the latest claims.
The rebels also said on Saturday that they had targeted the East-West pipeline, crude oil pumping stations, an Aramco facility in Yanbu and the Rabigh refinery.
The claims came as the Houthis continued launching missiles and drones towards Saudi airports, ports and oil installations, increasing pressure on the kingdom amid the wider regional conflict.
The East-West pipeline, stretching approximately 1,200 kilometres (746 miles), is an important alternative route for transporting Saudi crude to export terminals on the Red Sea when shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted.
Saudi Arabia temporarily shut down the pipeline in September as a precaution following a drone attack that Riyadh and Baghdad said originated in Iraq. The Houthis subsequently claimed attacks against the same oil infrastructure, although Saudi officials did not confirm those claims.
The group’s reported targeting of energy facilities has raised further concerns about regional oil supplies and the security of critical export routes.
Riyadh airport resumes limited operations
The latest Houthi claims came after King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh resumed operations at two terminals on Sunday, following a shutdown triggered by an earlier attack.
The airport halted operations on October 10 after an attack claimed by the Houthis killed 13 people, marking the deadliest such incident in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.
Saudi authorities announced that Terminal 1 would handle domestic flights, while Terminal 2 would serve international flights operated by national carriers, beginning Sunday.
However, flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 showed limited traffic at the airport despite the partial resumption of operations.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree warned that the airport would “never be safe” and urged airlines, airport employees and travellers not to use the facility, which the group described as a military target.
The Houthis also claimed attacks on Saudi sites in Khamis Mushait and Jazan, although it was not immediately clear whether those claims referred to attacks intercepted by Saudi forces.
The Saudi-led coalition said earlier this month that the Houthis had carried out 20 attacks targeting the airport between October 1 and 11.
Missile and drone attacks spread across southern Saudi Arabia
The latest incident followed a series of missile and drone attacks targeting Riyadh and southern Saudi cities.
According to the Saudi-led coalition, two drones and a ballistic missile were launched towards Riyadh, while a cruise missile was directed towards Khamis Mushait. The coalition later reported intercepting 10 ballistic missiles fired towards southern Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Civil Defense said debris from two intercepted ballistic missiles over Khamis Mushait and Ahad Rafidah injured two people and damaged residential buildings and vehicles on Sunday.
A Civil Defense spokesperson said the injured included a Saudi citizen and an Asian expatriate resident. Three residential buildings and seven vehicles were damaged, according to the latest account.
Authorities had issued emergency alerts for Riyadh, Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran before subsequently informing residents that the immediate danger had passed.
The continuing attacks have heightened security concerns across the kingdom, with projectiles reportedly targeting the capital, southern cities and areas in western Saudi Arabia, including locations near Makkah.
Reports of threats to Makkah and Madinah
The latest escalation has also been accompanied by reports of attempted missile attacks towards Saudi Arabia’s holy cities.
According to the supplied reports, Yemeni rebels attempted to target Makkah and Madinah a day earlier, but the missiles were intercepted and destroyed before reaching their intended destinations. The reports did not provide independent confirmation of the intended targets.
The claims have added to concerns over the security of religious sites and populated areas as the conflict intensifies.
Saudi authorities have continued issuing alerts and intercepting incoming projectiles, while the coalition has said its operations are aimed at preventing further attacks on civilian areas and critical infrastructure.
Houthi advances raise concerns over Red Sea shipping
Saudi Arabia has intensified its military campaign against the Houthis since the group captured strategic areas along Yemen’s Red Sea coast last month and advanced towards the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The narrow waterway is a key international shipping route connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. It is particularly important for Gulf oil producers seeking to transport energy supplies towards international markets when the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted.
The growing threat to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has raised concerns about the possibility of further disruption to global shipping and energy supplies.
The latest attacks have also increased pressure on Saudi Arabia, a US ally, as the wider US-Israeli offensive against Iran continues to shape regional security developments.
Renewed fighting threatens Yemen’s fragile truce
The escalation has effectively shattered a United Nations-brokered truce that had largely held since 2022.
Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen’s civil war in 2015, leading a coalition supporting the internationally recognised government after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.
The latest round of fighting has prompted intensified Saudi-led airstrikes against Houthi missile networks, supply routes and frontline positions, while the rebels have continued threatening Saudi airports and energy infrastructure.
The coalition has pledged to maintain operations to protect Saudi territory and civilians. However, continued attacks on populated areas, airports and oil facilities risk deepening the conflict and creating further uncertainty for regional security and international energy markets.
Makkah Pact officials set to meet Iran
The escalating attacks on Saudi Arabia come ahead of a planned meeting in Tehran involving senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan, the three countries associated with the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.
According to two people familiar with the matter, the meeting is scheduled for Monday to discuss regional coordination. Saudi Arabia is expected to be represented by Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, while Pakistan will be represented by Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.
The head of Türkiye’s intelligence service is also expected to participate. The Saudi government media office, Pakistan’s military media wing and Türkiye’s foreign ministry had not immediately responded to Reuters’ requests for comment.
