Saudi-led coalition says four drones intercepted over Riyadh, Madinah

A Saudi-led military coalition said on Thursday that it had intercepted and destroyed four drones in the airspace over Riyadh and the holy city of Madinah, as Yemen’s Houthi group claimed responsibility for a series of missile and drone attacks on Saudi targets.

Coalition spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Maliki said the four drones were destroyed before reaching their targets. He added that four more drones had been intercepted in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province earlier on Thursday.

The developments came as the Houthis, also known as Ansarullah, confirmed attacks over the past 48 hours on the Saudi Defence Ministry building in Riyadh, oil facilities belonging to Saudi Aramco in Yanbu, and two international airports.

In a video statement posted on social media, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for attacks on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam and Abha International Airport.

The group described the attacks as retaliation for what it called Saudi military actions against Yemen.

Saree warned that Saudi Arabia would face serious consequences if Yemeni tribes were targeted. He said the Houthis would continue their policy of responding to what they described as a blockade with a blockade and attacks with attacks until strikes on Yemen were halted and the blockade was lifted.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority announced the resumption of flight operations at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on Thursday.

Saudi authorities said an attack on the airport on Wednesday evening killed a Saudi national and an Indian national and wounded eight others. The injured included two nationals each from India, Yemen and Bangladesh, and one each from Saudi Arabia and Nepal.

Earlier, Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry said two people were killed, and two others wounded when debris from an intercepted drone fell near an oil facility in the Eastern Province.

According to the ministry, the drone was intercepted while approaching a refinery at Saudi Aramco’s Shaybah oilfield. Falling debris set fire to a vehicle belonging to a contractor working at the oilfield.

The ministry said the incident occurred outside the facility’s boundaries and did not affect operations at the oilfield.

The injured included Pakistani and Indian nationals, while the two people killed were identified as nationals of the Philippines and Nepal.