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Saudi Defenses Intercept Houthi Missile Over Riyadh
Confirmed
In Short: Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh on Saturday.
Saudi Arabia's air defenses successfully intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile fired at Riyadh early Saturday morning, according to the Saudi-led coalition.
The missile was part of a broader wave of attacks targeting Saudi Arabia, which the coalition said also included attempted strikes on civilian areas and infrastructure in Baysh, Taif, the Farasan Islands, and Yanbu.
Residents in Riyadh heard explosions and Saudi Civil Defense issued aerial threat warnings, before confirming the danger had passed.
A fire involving a fuel tank at a Saudi Aramco facility near the airport was extinguished by firefighters, though Saudi authorities have not confirmed if it was caused by a successful Houthi strike.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they targeted 'sensitive sites' in Riyadh and Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu.
The Saudi-led coalition said the attacks were thwarted and accused the Houthis of deliberately targeting civilians and civilian objects.
Jordan and Bahrain condemned the attacks, expressing solidarity with Saudi Arabia and supporting measures taken by Riyadh to protect its sovereignty, security, and citizens.
The UN Security Council warned of the consequences of the Houthi attacks, noting they threaten to expand the regional conflict and undermine maritime security.
Gen. Turki Al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, said the coalition reserves the right to take appropriate measures to deter further Houthi attacks.
This marks the first reported Houthi missile strike targeting Riyadh since the latest escalation between the group and Saudi Arabia began in July.
Saudi Arabia relies on advanced multi-layered air defense systems, including Patriot missile batteries, to shield major cities and key installations from aerial strikes.
What this adds
Saudi Arabia has not confirmed that the targets identified by the Houthis were hit.
The fire at the Saudi Aramco facility near the airport was extinguished, but the cause remains unconfirmed.
Background
The Saudi-led coalition forces fighting Yemen’s Houthis said on Saturday that the Iran-backed group fired a ballistic missile at Riyadh, which was intercepted and destroyed by the coalition’s air defences.
What's confirmed
- The Saudi-led coalition confirmed that a Houthi ballistic missile had been fired toward Riyadh at dawn and said Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed it.
- On Thursday, Saudi authorities said falling debris from an intercepted Houthi drone killed a Yemeni resident and wounded two others in Taif.
- Al-Maliki said the Coalition Command reserves the right to take appropriate measures in accordance with customary international humanitarian law to deter further Houthi attacks.
- RIYADH — The Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthi militia toward Riyadh at dawn on Saturday, Sept.
What's still developing
- The Houthis later said they had “foiled” what they described as “criminal attempts” allegedly carried out by Saudi Arabia in Yemen's capital, Sanaa.
- The breadth of the Gulf response underlined concern that the Houthi campaign is moving beyond isolated attacks into a wider threat to Saudi civilian, economic and energy infrastructure.
- Air defense units intercepted all incoming aerial vectors prior to impact.
- The Saudi-led coalition entered the conflict in 2015 following the Houthi seizure of Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and major government institutions.
- In a statement issued on Friday night, Council members expressed solidarity with the Kingdom in confronting assaults targeting civilians and civilian objects, affirming Saudi Arabia's inherent right to self-defense in accordance with international law.
- The members called on the Houthi militia to immediately halt its military escalation and attacks affecting civilians, stressing the importance of the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 2216 of 2015 and subsequent relevant resolutions.
- The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia as a flagrant violation of its sovereignty, a threat to its security, stability, and territorial integrity, and a blatant breach of international law and the United Nations Charter.
- In a statement, the ministry expressed Lebanon's full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its support for the Kingdom in confronting any attack targeting its security and territorial integrity, reiterating its categorical rejection of any targeting of cities and civilian facilities or placing the lives of civilians in danger.