Saudi Arabia Says Houthi Rebels Attempted Ballistic Missile Strike on Riyadh

On Saturday, Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry confirmed that Yemen’s Houthi rebels attempted to launch a ballistic missile toward Riyadh – the first such strike on the capital since the conflict with the Iran‑backed group intensified earlier this year.

According to the Saudi‑led coalition, early‑morning radar picked up the inbound missile and the air defence system knocked it out before it could reach the city. No injuries or damage were reported, and the coalition said the situation was under control.

Still, a few residents in the capital awoke to a sudden, muffled bang. Some later pointed to a column of dark smoke rising near King Khalid International Airport, prompting a brief scramble of emergency services. Flights were delayed, but thankfully there were no confirmed casualties.

The coalition’s statement went on to list a string of other locations that were also allegedly targeted – the Red Sea port of Yanbu, where a key Saudi oil pipeline terminates, as well as the hill‑town of Taif, the coastal village of Baysh and the island of Farasan. In each case, the Saudi defence forces say the attempts were thwarted, though details remain scarce.

Earlier this week, the Houthis boasted on their media channels that they had hit “sensitive sites” in Riyadh and struck facilities of oil giant Aramco in Yanbu, claiming massive fires. Aramco declined to comment, and independent verification of those claims has not materialised.

Houthi military spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the group used a mix of cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones in the operation, and even accused Saudi Arabia of trying to bomb the rebel‑held capital of Sanaa. The Associated Press could not independently confirm any of these assertions.

The episode underscores how the Yemen war has morphed into a wider proxy confrontation involving Saudi Arabia and Iran, with each side testing the other’s defences and, inevitably, rattling regional markets that are already sensitive to any disruption in oil supplies.