Houthi missile attack brings Yemen war back to Riyadh’s doorstep

Riyadh, Sept 20 — The Saudi-led coalition combating Yemen’s Houthis revealed that the Iran-backed group launched a ballistic missile at the Saudi capital at dawn following a fire at a fuel depot near King Khalid International Airport. Firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze involving a fuel tank belonging to Saudi oil company Aramco.

Footage and footage verified by AFP showed a plume of black smoke above the airport. Saudi Arabia's air force successfully intercepted and destroyed the missile aimed at Riyadh. The coalition spokesman, Turki al-Malki, said in a tweet that the Houthis also targeted civilians and civilian infrastructure in Bisha, Taif, Farasan, and Yanbu, but their attacks were thwarted by the Gulf kingdom's air defenses.

Saudi Arabia responded with numerous airstrikes on Houthi-held areas, but the offensive has continued. The Houthis claimed to have carried out two successful military operations using a large number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones, targeting sensitive sites in Riyadh and Aramco facilities in Yanbu. The US State Department and embassies in the region issued a security alert, warning of rapidly escalating conflict.

This is the first time since Yemen's civil war resumed that strikes have threatened the Saudi capital, adding to pressure on the global economy already shaken by seven months of war between the US and Iran.