Saudi Arabia confirmed on Saturday (19) that its air defenses intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis toward Riyadh, the capital of the country, during the early hours. The confirmation comes after hours of air threat alerts and explosions in the city, amid a new escalation of attacks by the Yemen-based group against Saudi territory.
The announcement was made on social media by the spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, Major-General Turki al-Malki. According to him, the Houthis also attempted to strike civilians and civilian facilities in Bish, Taif, Farasan and Yanbu, but the actions were thwarted by Saudi air defenses.
Al-Malki accused the Houthis of intensifying attacks against civilians and civilian facilities and stated that Saudi Arabia could adopt new measures to curb the offensives, in accordance with international humanitarian law. The statement did not report casualties or damages caused by the missile launched at Riyadh.
The country’s Civil Defense had issued alerts of a possible air threat for Riyadh and Al-Kharj during the night, and explosions were heard in the capital. Images from Reuters showed flames and a large column of smoke near King Khalid International Airport. Saudi authorities, however, did not link the fire in the statement to the intercepted missile nor clarify the origin of the flames.
According to the Houthis’ version, the offensive included missiles and drones against strategic points in Riyadh and against Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu. The group said the attacks caused fires, but this information was not confirmed by Saudi authorities.
Located on the Red Sea, Yanbu is one of the main outlets for Saudi oil to the outside world. The port hosts the East-West pipeline, a route that allows the country to transport oil from the eastern fields to the western coast without depending on passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The region had already been affected by recent attacks on energy infrastructure.
The offensive comes amid intensifying clashes between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, who control Sanaa and a large part of northern Yemen. This week, missile and drone attacks hit other Saudi cities and left civilians injured. The United Nations Security Council condemned the escalation of attacks against Saudi territory and their effects on civilians and energy infrastructure.
