Saudi Arabia says it intercepted Houthi ballistic missile targeting Riyadh

Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile targeting the capital Riyadh early Saturday, according to the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki said in a statement on US social media platform X that the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces intercepted the missile after it was launched by Yemen’s Houthi group toward Riyadh.

Al-Maliki said the escalation “by the terrorist Houthi militia and its persistent attempts to target civilians and civilian infrastructure in the capital Riyadh – a city inhabited by over 8 million citizens and residents – demonstrates the militia's intransigence and its deliberate, systematic targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, reflecting a hostile and terrorist pattern of behavior.”

He also said the group attempted to target civilians and civilian facilities in Baysh, Taif, Farasan and Yanbu, but that Saudi air defenses thwarted the attacks.

The coalition spokesman said the coalition leadership reserves the right to take measures it deems appropriate to deter Houthi attacks in line with international humanitarian law.

The Saudi statement came after Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed that the group had carried out two operations involving “a large number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones.”

Saree said one operation targeted what he described as “sensitive targets” in Riyadh, while another targeted Saudi Aramco oil company facilities in the coastal city of Yanbu.

Earlier Saturday, Saudi Civil Defense issued alerts in Riyadh for the first time during the latest wave of warnings, as well as in nearby Al-Kharj. Authorities did not initially specify the nature of the threat.

Saudi Arabia has faced a series of missile and drone attacks attributed to the Houthis in recent days, including an attack in Taif on Thursday in which falling debris from an intercepted drone killed one person and injured two others.