Saudi Arabia Intercepts Drones and Missiles as Houthi Attacks Escalate

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen says it intercepted drones and missiles fired at Riyadh and southern Saudi cities on Sunday. Two drones and a ballistic missile were launched toward the capital, while a cruise missile headed for Khamis Mushait. The coalition later reported shooting down ten more ballistic missiles aimed at the south. Civil defence authorities sent emergency alerts to Riyadh, Abha and Khamis Mushait, then confirmed minutes later that the danger had passed. The fighting with the Iran-aligned Houthis has become a growing source of instability in the wider US-Israeli offensive against Iran, putting Saudi Arabia under heavy pressure.

Houthis Threaten Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport

The Houthis claim they hit the airport and Saudi oil facilities on Saturday, though Saudi officials did not directly respond. Military spokesperson Yahya Saree called the airport a military target and told airlines, staff and passengers to stay away. The airport shut down on October 10 after an attack that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, the deadliest in the kingdom in over a decade. It reopened two terminals on Sunday, with Terminal 1 handling domestic flights and Terminal 2 serving international flights by national carriers.

Why the Yemen Conflict Is Spreading Across the Red Sea Region

Saudi Arabia has stepped up strikes on the Houthis since the group captured strategic territory along the Red Sea coast last month, moving close to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This chokepoint is a key shipping route for Gulf oil producers, located opposite the Strait of Hormuz. The renewed fighting has broken a UN-brokered truce that largely held since 2022. Saudi Arabia first entered Yemen’s civil war in 2015, leading a coalition that backs the internationally recognised government after the Houthis seized Sanaa a year earlier.