Yemenupdated 1h ago3 min read
Houthis Strike Saudi Airports And Oil Facilities, Saudi Intercepts Missiles Over Mecca And Medina
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Houthis launched seven ballistic missiles and drones against Saudi targets, including airports and Aramco facilities. Debris from intercepted missiles fell in Makkah, Jeddah, Taif after targeting western Saudi cities.
8 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Saudi Air Defenses Intercept Houthi Ballistic Missile Over Riyadh After Explosions →
Houthi claims and Saudi intercepts
The Houthis said they carried out seven military operations using ballistic missiles and drones against airports, oil facilities and an air base across Saudi Arabia in retaliation for Saudi airstrikes on Yemen. The Houthis said they targeted King Khalid International Airport in the capital Riyadh and claimed attacks on Aramco facilities in Yanbu and the Rabigh oil refinery on the kingdom's western Red Sea coast. Saudi Civil Defense said two Houthi ballistic missiles launched toward the Mecca and Medina regions were intercepted, with debris falling in four locations including Wadi al-Mughammas in Mecca and Jeddah’s al-Nuzha district.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree denied targeting holy sites in Mecca and Medina, saying the operation targeted oil facilities and military bases and that details would be announced “in due course.” The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said it intercepted and destroyed two Houthi ballistic missiles targeting the Saudi cities of Taif and Yanbu earlier on Saturday.
Debris reports and denials
Saudi Civil Defense said debris from the interception of two ballistic missiles launched by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia fell in several locations across western Saudi Arabia on Saturday, including near the holy city of Makkah. The spokesperson said parts of the missiles fell in Wadi Al-Mughammas, which is just 20 kilometers from Makkah's Grand Mosque, and interception debris also landed in Jeddah’s Al-Nuzha neighborhood, Wadi Jalil in Taif and Masturah in Rabigh Governorate. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree denied targeting Islam's holiest cities Mecca and Medina after Saudi authorities reported responding to falling shrapnel from interceptions in those areas, saying, "What the Saudi enemy is promoting about our forces targeting towards the holy areas of Mecca and Medina is a great and huge lie."
The Saudi-led coalition said it destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-aligned group towards Taif and Yanbu, while Saudi Civil Defense briefly issued alerts warning residents of potential danger in Taif and Yanbu, as well as in Mecca and Jeddah. The coalition spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Malki said the coalition categorically denied allegations by the terrorist Houthi militia that Saudi Arabia had threatened to target tribal and civilian gatherings, calling them false and entirely baseless.
Escalation and wider stakes
The Houthis said they had carried out attacks across Saudi Arabia in the past 24 hours and claimed Saudi Arabia had carried out a total of 3,123 airstrikes and missile attacks since the latest escalation began. The Yemeni armed forces said they carried out seven military operations using ballistic missiles and drones against targets inside Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, Aramco facilities in Yanbu, and the Rabigh oil refinery. The PressTV account said the operations were conducted "in response to the brutal Saudi aggression" and described the exchange as imposing the equation of "a blockade for a blockade" and "an escalation for an escalation."
The Globe and Mail reported that Yemen’s Saudi-backed government said the Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at coast guard sites in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden, while the Interior Ministry said two of the Houthis’ missiles had struck a coast guard headquarters and a third hit a coast guard building in the Tawahi district. The Globe and Mail also said the renewed fighting shattered a 2022 UN-brokered truce that largely halted cross-border attacks between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa.