Saudi Arabia claims Houthis tried to attack its capital Riyadh with missiles

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis reported on Saturday that the Iran-backed group had launched a ballistic missile at Riyadh in the early hours of the day. This occurred following a fire incident near the Saudi capital's international airport, where firefighters extinguished a blaze on a fuel tank belonging to the Saudi oil giant Aramco.

Footage shared online, verified by AFP, showed a column of black smoke above the airport buildings. Saudi Arabia's air force successfully intercepted and destroyed the missile launched by the Houthi terrorist militia, according to coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki. The Houthis also attempted to target civilians and civilian infrastructure in Bisha, Taif, Farasan, and Yanbu, but their attacks were thwarted by Saudi air defenses.

The Saudi authority had issued an overnight air raid alert, and residents reported hearing explosions echoing through parts of the capital. The US State Department and embassies around the region issued a security alert, warning of potential rapid escalation. This marks the first time since Yemen's civil war resumed that strikes have threatened the Saudi capital, putting additional pressure on a global economy already affected by seven months of war between the US and Iran.