Saudi Arabia: Ballistic missile launched towards Riyadh intercepted

Saudi civil defense indicated that an early warning system had been activated to warn residents of a potential threat.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen said Saturday it had intercepted a ballistic missile launched toward Riyadh by the Iranian-backed group. Two explosions were heard in Riyadh early Saturday, an AFP journalist reported from the capital, as the Houthis continued their airstrikes.

Saudi civil defense stated that an early warning system had been activated to alert residents of a potential threat. "Air defenses intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthi terrorist militia toward Riyadh," wrote coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki on the X platform.

A drone was also intercepted and shot down in the eastern province, the spokesman said shortly before.

Fighting resumed after a precarious truce

Since the beginning of the month, the Iranian-backed Houthis have stepped up their attacks against Saudi Arabia, including one that hit Riyadh's international airport, the deadliest strike in the kingdom in years. The Houthis have repeatedly denied Riyadh's accusations that they have launched drones and missiles toward Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil producer.

The Saudi kingdom intervened in the Yemeni conflict in 2015 at the head of an international coalition, a year after the outbreak of the war with the capture of the capital Sanaa by the Houthis, who control vast regions.

After a fragile four-year truce, fighting resumed in July, several months after the start of the conflict between the United States and Iran, which plunged the entire region into crisis. The conflict in Yemen has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in one of the world's poorest countries, already grappling with a vast humanitarian crisis.