Saudi air defenses destroyed Houthi missiles and drones aimed at Riyadh, Taif and Yanbu. Alerts sounded in Mecca
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis said it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile and a drone aimed at the Riyadh region early Sunday, a day after it destroyed two missiles fired toward Taif and Yanbu.
Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said air defenses intercepted a drone over the Riyadh region and a ballistic missile launched toward Riyadh. Saudi Civil Defense later said the danger had passed in the capital. A Houthi military spokesman claimed the group targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Aramco facilities in Yanbu, a claim that could not be independently verified.
On Saturday, the coalition said it destroyed two ballistic missiles fired toward Taif and Yanbu. Civil Defense briefly issued alerts in those cities and in Mecca and Jeddah and lifted them about 10 minutes later, Reuters reported. The agency said debris from the intercepted missiles fell in the Mecca and Medina regions, including at a site about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Mecca’s Grand Mosque and in parts of Jeddah, Taif and Rabigh. The coalition had earlier said it destroyed a ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh and a drone over the Eastern Province.
Separately, Yemen’s government said the Houthis fired ballistic missiles at Aden International Airport, the port in al-Tawahi and two coast guard facilities on Saturday. It reported no casualties. IANS reported that Saudi-led airstrikes hit Houthi-held areas, causing casualties, though that report has not been independently verified.
On Friday, the Arab League condemned Houthi attacks on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam and the Shaybah oil field. An attack on Riyadh’s airport earlier this month killed 13 people. The United States this week ordered non-essential embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia.
Information for this report was provided by Reuters via CNBC and The Globe and Mail, Anadolu Agency, Arab News, Saudi Gazette and IANS.