GCC chief condemns Houthi missile and drone attacks on Riyadh, Khamis Mushait

On Saturday morning, the Saudi-led coalition announced that they had intercepted two ballistic missiles and two drones launched by Iran-backed Houthis towards the kingdom. The projectiles were destined for Khamis Mushait and the drones were heading for the capital, Riyadh, according to the coalition's posts on X/Twitter. The Saudi civil defense had issued alerts overnight for Khamis Mushait and Abha, but not for Riyadh.

The Houthis, who hold sway over Yemen's most populous regions and significant parts of the north, have been conducting attacks against Saudi Arabia since declaring a naval blockade against Riyadh in July. Their targets have included Saudi vessels in the Red Sea, cities, energy infrastructure, and shipping. This has exacerbated pressures on global oil supplies, stemming from the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, and threatens the primary Red Sea route for Gulf exports, as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains largely impeded.

Earlier in the day, the military chiefs of Saudi Arabia, along with their defense allies from Pakistan and Turkey, convened a meeting in Riyadh to assess the threats facing the kingdom. The three nations signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement the previous month, pledging to view an armed attack on any one of them as an attack on all.

They emphasized that the pact aims to bolster collective deterrence and military cooperation. Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman confirmed early Saturday that he had reaffirmed cooperation with Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir in Riyadh, reaffirming their joint efforts to counter attacks against the kingdom in line with the agreement.