Saudi-led coalition says it shot down multiple Houthi missiles aimed at Riyadh and eastern Saudi Arabia
The coalition reported destroying three ballistic missiles and two cruise missiles launched by Yemen's Houthi forces toward Saudi targets, while the Houthis said a coalition air strike killed dozens in a village near Sanaa.
The Saudi-led coalition said its air-defence systems intercepted three ballistic missiles launched by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group, two of which were aimed at the capital Riyadh, according to Major-General Turki al-Maliki, the coalition’s spokesperson, in a post on X on Sunday. The coalition also reported destroying two cruise missiles over Riyadh and the southern region, and a separate ballistic missile headed for the Eastern Province.
The missile launches occurred amid heightened fighting across Yemen between the Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, and government forces that have been conducting the "Dawn of Yemen" operation to retake Houthi-held areas, including the capital Sanaa.
The Houthi-run Health Ministry spokesperson Anees al-Asbahi said a coalition air strike on the village of al-Shariyah, near Sanaa, killed 33 people, including eight women and 13 children, and wounded at least 39 others. The strike reportedly targeted homes, roads, paramedics and civil-defence teams in the Bani Hushaish district.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed the coalition carried out 105 air strikes and missile attacks in a 24-hour period, bringing the total number of strikes since the recent escalation to 4,369. He also said Houthi forces conducted six operations targeting Saudi Aramco oil facilities, Riyadh airport and military positions on both sides of the border.
The United Nations estimates that more than 1,600 people have been killed and nearly 300,000 displaced since a 2022 ceasefire collapsed in July after the Houthis announced a blockade of Saudi ports.