Saudi Arabia says it has intercepted a missile strike on its capital launched by the Houthi rebels in Yemen, as well as bomb-laden drones targeting the southern province of Jizan.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Saudi Arabia on Saturday said it intercepted a missile strike on its capital and bomb-laden drones targeting a southern province, the latest in a series of air strikes it has blamed on Yemeni rebel Houthis.
The Saudi-led military coalition that fought in Yemen’s years of war announced that the Iran-allied Houthis had launched a ballistic missile towards Riyadh and three booby-trapped drones towards Jizan province, with a fourth towards another southwestern city and other drones that were being watched. Initially, no casualties or damage were reported. There was no immediate comment from the Houthis.
The attack comes amid mounting tensions in the Middle East, a day after a mysterious explosion struck an Israeli ship in the Gulf of Oman. That explosion raised new concerns about the safety of ships in the strategic waterways that saw a wave of suspected Iranian attacks on oil tankers in 2019.
State-owned Al-Ekhbariya TV broadcast images of what appeared to be explosions in the sky over Riyadh. Social media users also posted videos, with some residents showing screaming as they watched the fiery explosion piercing the night sky, which appeared to be the kingdom’s Patriot missile batteries intercepting the ballistic missile.
Colonel Turki al-Maliki, the spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, said the Houthis were “trying to attack civilians in a systematic and deliberate manner.”
The US Embassy in Riyadh warned the Americans, calling on them to “remain alert in the event of new future attacks.” Flight tracking websites found that a number of flights scheduled to land at Riyadh International Airport had been diverted or delayed within an hour of the attack.
A civil defense spokesperson, Mohammed al-Hammadi, later said scattered debris caused property damage to one house, although no one was injured, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported.
As the war in Yemen continues, Houthi missile and drone attacks on the kingdom have become commonplace and rarely cause damage. Earlier this month, the Houthis struck an empty airliner at Saudi Arabia’s southwestern Abha Airport with a bomb-laden drone, setting it on fire.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition faced widespread international criticism of airstrikes in Yemen that killed hundreds of civilians and hit non-military targets, including schools, hospitals and weddings. President Joe Biden announced this month that he was ending US support for the Saudi Arabia-led war in Yemen, including “relevant” arms sales. But he stressed that the US would continue to help Saudi Arabia defend itself against outside attacks.
The Houthis captured the capital of Yemen and much of the north of the country in 2014, forcing the government into exile and, months later, prompting Saudi Arabia and its allies to launch a bombing campaign.
Associated Press writer Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.