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Houthi Missiles Hit Riyadh, Injuring Four and Damaging 15 Homes After Interception

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Houthi missiles hit Riyadh airport, injuring four people and damaging 15 homes. Debris from intercepted missiles caused injuries and housing damage in Riyadh's capital.

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Houthi Missiles Hit Riyadh, Injuring Four and Damaging 15 Homes After Interception
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Riyadh blasts and missile debris

Loud explosions were heard in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Wednesday morning as residents received an “air threat” alert via mobile phones, according to witnesses and Saudi authorities. The Saudi Civil Defense Authority said shrapnel from the interception of two cruise missiles injured four people, including two women, a man, and a child, and caused limited material damage to 15 residential homes in Riyadh.

The Civil Defense Authority said it urged residents to stay at home or in a safe place away from windows and doors and to continue to follow Civil Defense instructions. Saudi authorities also said the danger had receded from the city of Riyadh and the province of al-Kharj, after the warning was raised and then lifted minutes later.

Reporting for this sectionAin Al-‘Arabī21Akhbar al-Ghad

Yemen-linked escalation and Aramco

Saudi-led coalition statements described the attacks as part of a broader escalation, after the coalition announced the interception and destruction of a ballistic missile launched toward Riyadh. Major General Turki al-Maliki said, via the Saudi Press Agency, that “a ballistic missile launched by the terrorist Houthi militia toward Riyadh has been intercepted and destroyed.”

The coalition also said it targeted oil facilities in Yemeni areas controlled by Iran-backed Houthi forces and reported intercepting four cruise missiles and three drones over Riyadh and the southern region, while AFP journalists and witnesses heard loud explosions in the capital. Saudi authorities said an administrative building belonging to Aramco in Dhahran was targeted on Tuesday evening, causing a limited fire with no injuries or fatalities, as the coalition said shrapnel fell in a residential area in Dhahran.

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Reporting for this sectionAl-Quds

Travel disruption and wider stakes

Al Jazeera said Houthi attacks disrupted travel plans for Mecca pilgrims, with five Saudi airports targeted in recent days and flight cancellations forcing some travellers to reroute through neighbouring Gulf countries. The Al Jazeera report also said the attacks were unfolding as Saudi Arabia and the Houthi group escalated military operations since July, including strikes on civil aviation facilities and energy facilities in the kingdom.

The Saudi Council of Ministers, chaired by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, affirmed that the Kingdom will not allow threats to freedom of maritime navigation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab, and it said the Houthi militia will face the consequences of its crimes and repeated terrorist assaults. The sources also tied the regional conflict to economic and humanitarian pressure, with the International Organization for Migration saying restrictions on access to Taiz hindered the entry of residents, essential supplies, and humanitarian aid, driving up commodity prices.

Reporting for this sectionAl JazeeraAl-Talafaziyyu al-ʿArabi