RIYADH: Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles and several drones launched by Yemen’s Houthi militia, coalition officials said, after residents in Riyadh and the southern city of Khamis Mushayt received emergency alerts warning of hostile aerial threats.
The Saudi-led Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen said early Sunday that two ballistic missiles fired toward Khamis Mushayt were intercepted and destroyed.
In a separate statement issued minutes later, coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki said a drone was intercepted and destroyed in the Riyadh region.
The announcements followed mobile phone alerts sent by the General Directorate of Civil Defense at around 1:30 a.m. local time warning residents of a “hostile aerial threat.”
“The alert was lifted a few minutes later.
On Saturday, Al-Maliki said coalition forces had intercepted and destroyed four drones over the previous hours across Riyadh, the Eastern Province and southern regions of the Kingdom. He also announced the destruction of two ballistic missile launchers in Yemen’s Saada governorate.
Civil Defense later issued notices saying the danger had passed in Khamis Mushayt and the nearby city of Abha, while urging residents to continue following official instructions and avoid gathering or filming.
The latest incidents come amid an escalation in hostilities after Yemen’s conflict reignited in July following years of relative calm.
Saudi Arabia has faced repeated Houthi missile and drone attacks targeting oil facilities, transportation infrastructure and other strategic sites. Last week, an attack on Riyadh’s airport killed 13 people, according to previous reports.
The renewed attacks have prompted precautionary measures across the Kingdom. The Education Ministry has extended remote learning in Riyadh and neighboring Diriyah, while several foreign embassies have advised their citizens to avoid Saudi airports or postpone travel.
The developments also coincided with growing regional support for the Kingdom. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said Saturday that Cairo was prepared to take “any measure” necessary to help protect Saudi Arabia if requested, stressing that Egypt’s role would be defensive.
Meanwhile, fresh details emerged regarding Saudi Arabia’s air defense network.
In a post on X on Saturday, Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias shared a photo of himself saying he visited the Greek Patriot missile batteries deployed in Yanbu and met members of the Hellenic force stationed there.
Dendias said the contingent helps support the defense of Saudi Arabia by protecting energy facilities and strategic infrastructure.
The visit marked the first public acknowledgement that the Greek deployment has been involved in helping protect Yanbu, a major oil and industrial hub on Saudi Arabia’s western coast, from hostile aerial threats.
Saudi Arabia has accused Iran of encouraging the Houthis’ recent escalation, an allegation Tehran denies. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday reiterated Tehran’s support for a political solution to the conflict and renewed an offer to mediate, while Yemen’s government rejected the proposal, saying Iran was a party to the conflict rather than a neutral intermediary.
Amid the Houthi attacks, Saudi-led coalition airstrikes continued to target Houthi facilities and installations in an effort to stop the militia from threatening the parts of Yemen under government control, as well as Saudi Arabia and international shipping.