Coalition announces interception of missiles and drones over Riyadh and other areas in Saudi Arabia
Amman3 min read
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The Saudi-led military coalition supporting the internationally recognized government in Yemen announced the interception of missiles and drones over Riyadh and other areas in the Kingdom on Friday, amid continued escalation with the Iran-backed Houthis.
Coalition spokesman Turki Al-Maliki stated on the X platform, "We intercepted and destroyed 3 drones in the southern region and the Riyadh region... and 2 cruise missiles over the Red Sea," in addition to "a ballistic missile launched toward Yanbu" on the west coast.
The Saudi Civil Defense had issued an early warning for "emergency cases" in Yanbu Governorate hours earlier "to warn of danger."
Since July, the Houthis have announced a naval blockade on Saudi ports in the Red Sea and targeted Saudi oil tankers in response to what they consider a blockade on their areas of control in Yemen.
Against the backdrop of the war in the Middle East, a truce that had been in effect in Yemen since 2022 collapsed in July. Fighting resumed, and the Houthis made advances on the ground, taking control of the west coast and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait area, which has gained increased importance for Riyadh in oil exports amid Iran's practical closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
For more than ten days, Saudi Arabia has been subjected to near-daily attacks by the Houthis using missiles and drones, the most violent of which was an attack on Riyadh airport on October 10 that resulted in 13 deaths and more than 300 injuries, marking the deadliest attack in the Kingdom in over a decade.
The Australian Embassy in Saudi Arabia urged its citizens on Friday not to travel to the Kingdom.
It said in a statement, "We have raised our travel advisory level for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to 'Do Not Travel' due to the volatile security situation."
It added, "Postpone any planned travel to Saudi Arabia, including travel for religious purposes."
It advised "Australian nationals residing in Saudi Arabia who wish to leave to do so while commercial options remain available."
On Thursday, a Saudi official accused Iran of encouraging the Houthis to escalate against the Kingdom.
In Yemen, the Houthis launched a missile attack on Thursday targeting the presidential palace in the southern city of Aden, specifically targeting a headquarters of the Saudi-led coalition forces, as the Kingdom accused Iran of standing behind the recent escalation with the "Ansar Allah" movement backed by Tehran.
This attack is the first on the presidential palace in Aden since the resumption of escalation in Yemen in July following the collapse of the 2022 truce. The government has made Aden its temporary headquarters after the Houthis took control of Sanaa in 2014.
