Saudi air defences down Houthi missiles targeting Riyadh

Air defence forces operating under the Saudi-led military coalition destroyed multiple incoming projectiles aimed at Riyadh and the kingdom's southern territory on Sunday, following loud explosions reported across the capital.

The military alliance confirmed that it intercepted and neutralised two ballistic missiles directed toward Riyadh. Coalition officials subsequently stated that two cruise missiles were also intercepted, with one aimed at the capital and another heading toward the southern part of the country. Saudi Civil Defence teams had triggered an alert across the Riyadh area just before the detonations occurred, later declaring that the immediate danger was over.

A day prior to the interception, Houthi military representative Yahya Saree claimed that the Yemeni movement executed six coordinated strikes using a combination of cruise missiles, ballistic projectiles, and uncrewed aircraft against locations within Saudi Arabia and Yemen. According to Saree, the strikes targeted Khalid International Airport, energy infrastructure belonging to state oil firm Aramco in Riyadh and Khurais, and a major pipeline pumping station situated in Dawadmi. He further asserted that Houthi operations struck military forces stationed in the southern border province of Najran, alongside positions in Yemen's Al-Jawf and Ma’rib regions, claiming the assaults inflicted significant casualties.

The escalation follows recent hostilities that have broken down a United Nations-mediated ceasefire that had mostly stayed in place since 2022. The Saudi-led multinational intervention originally commenced in 2015 to reinstate Yemen's internationally backed administration after Houthi fighters captured the capital city of Sanaa.

Regional violence flared further following American and Israeli military strikes against Iran earlier in the year, turning the Yemeni theatre into an active front within broader Middle Eastern unrest. Since fighting reignited in July, Houthi units have repeatedly launched aerial and missile barrages against Saudi aviation hubs, maritime ports, and petroleum operations, while coalition forces have conducted retaliatory air raids across Yemen.

The weekend strikes occurred shortly after health officials in Houthi-controlled Sanaa reported that coalition bombing raids claimed the lives of at least 33 individuals nearby. In response to those reports, Saudi officials stated that an official inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the strikes is underway.