Saudi Coalition claims to have intercepted two missiles towards Riyadh

A coalition led by Saudi Arabia, which supports the Government of Yemen against the Huthis, announced today that it intercepted two ballistic missiles fired by pro-Iran rebels towards the capital, Riyadh.

“ Anti-aircraft defenses intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Huthi terrorist militia towards Riyadh,” said the coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki on social network X.

Shortly before, around 04:00 (01:00 in Lisbon), the Saudi authorities issued an alert about a possible danger in the capital, which was suspended about ten minutes later.

The coalition also reported earlier that night the intercept of two drones in the east of the kingdom.

Following the resumption of the conflict in Yemen in July, the Huthis have intensified attacks on oil and civilian facilities in recent weeks, as well as on military sites in Saudi Arabia.

The Huthis regularly announce that they target Riyadh, especially the international airport. On November 8, according to witnesses, an attack by the rebels damaged a skyscraper belonging to the oil giant Aramco in the capital's financial district.

In recent days, the Huthis have also repeatedly attacked the East-West pipeline, which allows Saudi Arabia to transport part of its oil for export, bypassing the Strait of Ormuz, located on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula and blocked by Iran since the start of the Middle East war on 28 February.

The conflict in Yemen broke out in 2014, when the Huthis launched an offensive against government forces and took control of vast areas of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The following year, a Saudi Arabian-led military coalition intervened to support the internationally recognized Yemeni government.

A truce, in force since 2022, was broken in July in the context of the regional conflict.

Since then, more than 1,600 people have been killed in Yemeni territory and more than 300,000 have been forced to flee, according to the UN.