Saudi Arabia Says Houthi Rebels Launched Ballistic Missile Toward Riyadh

Saudi Arabia’s coalition disclosed on Saturday that Yemen’s Houthi fighters launched a ballistic missile aimed at the capital, Riyadh. It was, according to officials, the first missile strike of that kind since the fighting with the Iran‑supported rebels escalated into a broader front of the Iran war.

Witnesses in Riyadh reported hearing a loud bang early in the morning, followed by a faint plume of smoke drifting near the city’s airport. Fortunately, the Saudi air‑defence system knocked the projectile down before it could cause any damage, and there were no injuries reported.

The statement didn’t stop at Riyadh. It added that the Houthis also tried to hit civilian infrastructure in Yanbu – the Red Sea port where a key Saudi oil pipeline ends – as well as the cities of Taif, Baysh and the island group of Farasan. All those attempts were supposedly thwarted, though details remain scant.

Earlier, the Houthi military spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, boasted that his forces had struck “sensitive sites” in Riyadh and even hit facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco in Yanbu, sparking “massive fires.” Aramco declined to comment, and no independent verification of the claims has emerged.

These accusations come amid a string of recent escalations. Just days before, Saudi civil‑defence officials said debris from an intercepted Houthi drone killed a Yemeni resident living in the kingdom – the first civilian casualty linked to the conflict. And on Wednesday, Riyadh warned that a drone allegedly targeting Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, had been shot down, calling any threat to the holy site a “red line.” The Houthis vehemently denied that they had aimed at Mecca.

The United States, a close ally of Saudi Arabia, maintains it is not currently engaged in direct combat with the Houthis. Yet regional partners say Saudi missile‑defence stocks are running low, prompting Riyadh to request additional air‑defence assistance from France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt.

On the ground in Yemen, the civil war has flared again. Houthi forces recently swept down the Red Sea coastline, capturing the strategic port of Mokha and a handful of islands that sit at the mouth of the Bab el‑Mandeb Strait. Controlling those points gives the rebels better eyes on the busy shipping lane, although they say they are only targeting Saudi vessels.

All told, the latest missile attempt marks a worrying new chapter in a conflict that had seemed to quiet down after four years of relative calm. Observers warn that any further escalation could ripple through global oil markets and heighten tensions across the already volatile Middle East.