Saudi-led coalition intercepts 2 Houthi missiles fired towards Riyadh

On Sunday, the Saudi-led coalition combating Yemen's Houthis announced they had intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Iran-aligned group towards Riyadh. Booms were heard in the Saudi capital prior to the destruction, prompting the Saudi Civil Defence to issue an alert in the Riyadh region. Authorities subsequently declared the danger had passed.

The coalition also reported intercepting and destroying two cruise missiles in Riyadh and the southern region. This comes after the recent breakdown of a 2022 UN-brokered truce, as Saudi Arabia led an Arab coalition into Yemen in 2015 with the aim of restoring the internationally recognized government after the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa.

The renewed conflict has turned into a battleground in the broader Middle East war ignited by US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February. Since hostilities resumed in July, the Houthis have targeted Saudi airports, ports, and oil facilities with missiles and drones, while Saudi Arabia has retaliated with airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.

The latest incident unfolded the day following Yemen's Houthi-run health ministry reporting that Saudi airstrikes had killed at least 33 people near Sanaa. Saudi authorities have launched an investigation into the matter.