Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted missiles and drones aimed at Riyadh

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis said it had destroyed two ballistic missiles headed towards Riyadh and intercepted two suspected Houthi drones, as battles intensified on several fronts in Yemen. The announcements were accompanied by reports of further drone interceptions near the Yemeni city of Marib.

Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said in a post on X early on Sunday, November 15, that air defences had intercepted the two missiles, which he attributed to the Houthis. On Saturday, he had announced the destruction of two suspected Houthi drones in the Riyadh and southern regions.

Saudi authorities say suspected Houthi missile and drone attacks have killed at least 26 people in the kingdom since September 23. The Houthis have repeatedly attacked targets including Riyadh’s King Khalid International airport, the East-West pipeline and oil infrastructure in southern and eastern Saudi Arabia.

In Yemen, coalition forces backing the internationally recognised government said they had intercepted several drones launched towards Marib. Yemeni army spokesman Colonel Majid al-Nuzaili also reported government advances against the Houthis during heavy fighting in the al-Hazm and Madghal districts of al-Jawf, alongside intensified combat in Marib.

Al-Nuzaili said Saudi-backed forces had conducted 723 targeted operations across Taiz, Lahij, Marib and al-Jawf, killing or wounding 321 Houthi leaders and destroying 117 military vehicles belonging to the Iran-allied group. The coalition carried out at least 37 air strikes, 56 drone attacks and 541 artillery strikes.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree gave a separate account of coalition activity, saying it had conducted 72 air strikes in Saada, Taiz, Lahij and al-Jawf during the preceding 24 hours. He also said Houthi forces had fired ballistic missiles at Saudi-backed Yemeni forces in the Kharaz area of Lahij.

Houthi-affiliated media reported that artillery fire from Saudi-backed forces injured two women and two children in a residential neighbourhood in Sanaa’s Shuaub district. The capital is controlled by the Houthis. Across Yemen, fighting has displaced more than 340,000 people since August, according to the International Organization for Migration.

The US Embassy in Riyadh issued a nationwide security alert on Saturday as the conflict escalated, urging Americans in Saudi Arabia to maintain “heightened vigilance” because of an increased threat of Houthi attacks. It said attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure had resulted in civilian casualties and serious travel disruption.

The embassy also warned that hostilities could spread quickly and advised Americans to exercise extreme caution if they chose to use airports in Saudi Arabia.