Saudi Arabia says Houthis tried to attack its capital

Saudi Arabia reported that Yemen's Houthi rebels attempted to attack its capital, Riyadh, with a ballistic missile on Saturday. According to the Saudi-led coalition, the attack was intercepted, and there were no reports of casualties or damage. Some residents in Riyadh heard an explosion and saw a plume of smoke near the airport, which caused flight operations at King Khalid International Airport to be disrupted.

The Houthi rebels claimed to have targeted "sensitive sites" in Riyadh and facilities of Saudi oil giant Aramco in Yanbu, causing "massive fires", although Aramco did not respond to a request for comment. The rebels also allegedly tried to attack civilian infrastructure in other locations, including the Red Sea port city of Yanbu, Taif, Baysh, and Farasan, but were thwarted.

The incident has contributed to increased tensions in the region, with the growing conflict near a global shipping corridor bringing new pressures to markets. The Houthi military spokesperson claimed that they attacked with cruise and ballistic missiles as well as drones.

Brief written by urgent.news from NPR, Times of India, The Indian Express, The Mainichi, The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.