Saudi-led coalition says it downed 2 missiles fired by Houthis

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis announced on Saturday that they launched attacks against Saudi oil facilities and airports, prompting the Saudi-led coalition to announce the destruction of two ballistic missiles. The exchange marked a sharp intensification of hostilities between the warring factions, occurring within a broader regional conflict involving Iran. While the coalition stated it intercepted projectiles heading toward Taif and Yanbu, Houthi officials listed a wider array of targets, including major international airports and critical energy infrastructure. The Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, detailed the specific objectives of the Saturday operation. He claimed strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, an Aramco facility in Yanbu, and the Rabigh oil refinery. Additional targets reportedly included crude oil pumping stations, the East-West Pipeline, King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, an airport in Najran, and an airbase in Khamis Mushait. In a separate statement regarding operations inside Yemen, Saree said Houthi forces targeted Saudi-backed military gatherings at Al-Nasr camp and a naval base in the southern port city of Aden. He asserted that Saudi officers were overseeing mobilization efforts at these locations. The Saudi-led coalition responded by confirming the interception of two ballistic missiles aimed at Taif and Yanbu. Saudi Civil Defense issued brief alerts warning residents of potential danger in Taif, Yanbu, Mecca, and Jeddah. Approximately ten minutes after the initial warnings, the agency declared that the threat had passed. Authorities reported that debris from the intercepted missiles fell in the Mecca and Medina regions. Specific landing zones included Wadi al-Mughammas in Mecca, as well as areas in Jeddah, Taif, and Rabigh. It remained unclear whether this debris was linked to the Houthi claim of targeting the Rabigh refinery. Following the coalition’s report of interceptions near the holy cities, Houthi representatives denied attacking Mecca and Medina. They clarified that their operations focused exclusively on Saudi oil facilities and military bases. Saudi authorities did not provide direct commentary on the specific Houthi claims regarding individual targets, though they noted missile debris near one of the purported oil sites. It was not immediately determined if any of the reported attacks successfully impacted their intended destinations within the Kingdom. In Yemen, the Interior Ministry of the internationally recognized government reported that two Houthi missiles struck a coast guard headquarters, while a third hit a coast guard building in the Tawahi district of Aden. Witnesses in the port city described multiple explosions. This local conflict adds another dimension to the escalating violence, which has disrupted a United Nations-brokered truce established in 2022. That agreement had largely halted cross-border attacks between the Saudi-led coalition, which supports the internationally recognized government, and the Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa. The current surge in activity has opened a new front in the ongoing US-Israeli war against Iran. According to R2 reporting, the Saudi Civil Defense dispatched nearly a dozen warnings within 24 hours due to suspected Houthi attacks, affecting Riyadh, Jeddah, and several provinces near the Yemeni border. The coalition stated that more than a dozen rockets, drones, and cruise missiles were shot down in Riyadh and the south during this period. Conversely, Houthi spokesperson Saree claimed that Saudi Arabia conducted over 3,000 rocket and air raids in Yemen since the start of the new escalation. He alleged that more than 100 such attacks occurred in Sanaa and other areas within a single 24-hour window, resulting in deaths and injuries. Independent verification of figures from either side was unavailable. Air travel disruptions persisted following the weekend exchanges. Operations at King Khalid International Airport resumed at two terminals, with travelers advised to verify flight status through their respective airlines. Flight tracking data indicated hundreds of flights remained cancelled. Earlier in the month, the Houthis warned airlines against using Saudi airspace, with exemptions made only for the skies above Mecca and Medina. This warning came as the group increased pressure on the Kingdom. Contextual reports indicate a pattern of sustained aggression. On Thursday, the Houthis claimed strikes on the Saudi defense ministry in Riyadh, Aramco facilities in Yanbu, and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam. Saudi authorities confirmed two fatalities in Dammam but did not verify the attacks in Riyadh or Yanbu. The coalition reported intercepting drones over Riyadh and Medina on that day. A prior denial by the Houthis regarding Medina targets followed coalition reports of drone interceptions in the Eastern region. The recent escalation follows severe damage inflicted on aviation infrastructure. An October 10 strike on King Khalid International Airport resulted in at least 12 deaths and 309 injuries, according to Saudi authorities. The Houthis claimed responsibility for that incident. It represented the third attack on the airport that week. Two earlier strikes killed four individuals and severely damaged a commercial aircraft parked on the tarmac. Victims of the October 10 attack included four Saudi nationals, two Bangladeshi citizens, and one person each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, and Egypt. The Kingdom’s threat warning system failed to issue an alert prior to that specific incident.