Saudi-led coalition forces said Saudi air defences intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by Yemen’s Houthis towards Riyadh at dawn on Saturday, Middle East Eye reported.
Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki announced the interception in a statement and also posted about the incident on X. He said Saudi Arabia’s air force had successfully stopped and destroyed the missile before it reached the capital. The material provided did not include further information about where the interception occurred or whether debris caused any damage.
Maliki also said the Houthis had attempted to strike civilians and civilian infrastructure in several other parts of Saudi Arabia. He identified Bisha, Taif, Farasan and Yanbu as targets of the reported attacks. According to the spokesman, the kingdom’s air defence systems thwarted those attempts as well.
The statement described the projectile directed towards Riyadh as a ballistic missile. However, the available report did not specify the types or number of weapons allegedly used against the other named locations. It also provided no details about the timing of those attempted strikes beyond the statement that the Riyadh-bound missile was intercepted at dawn on Saturday.
No casualties or damage were reported in the source material. The account was based on statements from the Saudi-led coalition, and no Houthi response or separate confirmation of the interceptions was included.
Maliki accused the Houthis of stepping up such attempts. His comments framed the reported launches as attacks directed at populated areas and civilian facilities, while crediting Saudi air defences with preventing the missiles from reaching their intended targets.
Bisha, Taif, Farasan and Yanbu were the locations specifically listed alongside Riyadh in the coalition spokesman’s statement. The source material did not provide additional operational details, information about possible launch sites, or an assessment of the interceptions beyond Maliki’s account.
Reporting attribution: based on reporting by Middle East Eye — original source: https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/houthi-missiles-riyadh-and-other-cities-intercepted-saudi-coalition-says.