Saudi air defence downs Houthi missile over Madinah

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis said on Thursday that a ballistic missile fired by the group at the holy Madinah region had been intercepted.

The announcement came just minutes after the kingdom’s civil defence agency warned of potential danger in the area near the strategic port of Yanbu.

It was unclear if the two events were connected.

“Air defence intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the terrorist Houthi militia toward the Madinah region,” coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said in a post on X.

The Houthis rejected any suggestion that they were targeting the city, saying such accusations were a “blatant and grave falsehood”.

“Our operations target only its oil facilities and military bases,” the group said in a statement.

The Houthis have repeatedly said their forces would not target the holy cities of Makkah or Madinah in their ongoing campaign against the kingdom, which has seen the group attack airports, energy infrastructure and military sites.

They have targeted the port of Yanbu on several occasions in recent months.

“A warning has been issued by the National Early Warning Platform in Yanbu Governorate to alert of a potential danger,” read a statement published by the agency online.

Yanbu, on the Red Sea, is the terminus of the East-West Pipeline that allows Saudi oil to bypass the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.

The port and pipeline have played a key role since the outbreak of the Middle East war, helping Riyadh ship crude and fuel to global markets.

Houthis reject Saudi claim

Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree has rejected a claim by Saudi Arabia that the Yemeni group targeted the kingdom’s Madinah region with a ballistic missile.

He brands the claim “a continuation of … great and immense lies against our dear Muslim people”, claiming that the group only targets military and oil facilities.