Saudi Arabia says it has intercepted a missile attack on its capital launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, as well as bomb-laden drones against southern Jizan province
DUBAI, UAE – Saudi Arabia said on Saturday it had intercepted a missile attack on its capital and bomb-laden drones aimed at a southern province, the latest in a series of airstrikes blaming the rebel Yemeni Houthis.
The Saudi-led military coalition that fought during the long war in Yemen announced that Houthis allied with Iran had launched a ballistic missile into Riyadh and three drones trapped by a booby into Jizan province, with a quarter to another city in the southwest and that other drones were controlled. No casualties or damage were initially reported. There was no immediate comment from the houthis.
The attack comes amid heavy tensions in the Middle East, a day after a mysterious blast struck an Israeli-owned ship in the Gulf of Oman. That blast renewed concerns about the safety of ships on strategic waterways that suffered a wave of alleged Iranian attacks on oil tankers in 2019.
State television Al-Ekhbariya broadcast images of what appeared to be air blasts over Riyadh. Social media users also posted videos, and some showed residents screaming as they watched the blast of fire traverse 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 “in a systematic and deliberate way to target civilians.”
The U.S. embassy in Riyadh sent a warning to Americans, asking them to “be alert in the event of further future attacks.” Flight tracking websites showed a series of flights scheduled to land at Riyadh International Airport diverted or delayed in the hour following the attack.
A civil defense spokesman, Mohammed al-Hammadi, later said the scattered debris caused material damage to a house, although no one was injured, the Saudi State Press Agency reported.
As the war in Yemen continues, Houthi missile and drone attacks on the kingdom have become commonplace, rarely causing damage. Earlier this month, the Houthis attacked an empty passenger plane at Saudi Arabia’s airport, southwest of Abha, with a bomb-laden drone, causing it to catch fire.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition has faced widespread international criticism for airstrikes in Yemen that have killed hundreds of civilians and achieved non-military targets, including schools, hospitals and wedding parties. President Joe Biden announced this month that he would end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, including “relevant” arms sales. But he stressed that the US would continue to help Saudi Arabia defend itself from external attacks.
Houthis dominated the capital of Yemen and much of the north of the country in 2014, forcing the government into exile and months later prompted Saudi Arabia and its allies to launch a bombing campaign.
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Associated Press writer Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.