Stories
Houthi Missile Targets Riyadh, Fire Erupts Near Airport
- •A Saudi-led coalition reported that Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi group fired a ballistic missile at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, early Saturday.
- •A fire broke out near Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport at a fuel depot, affecting a fuel tank with the Aramco logo, which firefighters extinguished.
- •Saudi air defenses successfully intercepted and destroyed the missile, according to coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki, who also stated Houthis attempted to target other Saudi cities.
- •The Houthis claimed responsibility for two military operations, targeting "sensitive sites in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and Aramco facilities in Yanbu" using missiles and drones.
- •This incident marks the first time strikes have threatened the Saudi capital since the resumption of Yemen's civil war, following a collapsed 2022 truce.
Key Questions Answered
The Saudi air force successfully intercepted and destroyed the ballistic missile launched toward Riyadh at dawn on Saturday. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki confirmed that air defenses also thwarted simultaneous Houthi attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure in Bisha, Taif, Farasan, and Yanbu.
Firefighters successfully extinguished a blaze on an Aramco fuel tank located at a depot near Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport. Additionally, flight tracking website FlightRadar24 reported major problems and high disruptions at the airport before normal traffic resumed.
The attack occurred amid a lightning Houthi offensive seizing swathes of territory in Yemen and gaining control over the Bab al-Mandab strait. Furthermore, the incident followed a recent Houthi claim of targeting Mecca, which Riyadh denounced as a terrorist attack, and preceded Washington's approval of a $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.
