Saudi coalition destroys two Houthi missile launchers after Riyadh attack

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said on Monday it had destroyed two ballistic missile launchers in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa after intercepting a missile fired towards Riyadh.

Coalition spokesman Maj-Gen. Turki Al Maliki said Saudi air defences intercepted and destroyed the missile launched by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi group, which claimed to have targeted Riyadh’s international airport.

Al Maliki announced the destruction of the two launchers in posts on X, saying one had been used in the attack on the Saudi capital.

“Operations continue to dismantle the terrorist Houthi militia’s ballistic missile network,” he said.

The interception followed overnight explosions in Riyadh, where residents received mobile phone alerts warning of a potential “hostile aerial threat”.

The first alert was issued at 3.42am local time, followed minutes later by a notification that the threat had passed.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had targeted the airport with a ballistic missile and attacked oil pumping stations using drones.

Saree also claimed that Houthi forces had carried out two military operations against Saudi forces and weapons depots in Yemen’s Aden and Lahj governorates, resulting in “dozens of casualties”. The claims were not independently verified.

The coalition said its operation was aimed at dismantling the Houthis’ missile capabilities and responding to repeated attacks and attempts to target civilians.

It added that the military action complied with international humanitarian law and other applicable legal rules.