Saudi-led coalition says Houthis launched a ballistic missile toward Riyadh

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said Saturday that the Iran-backed group launched a ballistic missile toward Riyadh early in the morning, shortly after a fire broke out near the Saudi capital's international airport.

An AFP journalist at the scene saw firefighters extinguish a blaze involving a fuel tank bearing the logo of Saudi oil giant Aramco at a depot near King Khalid International Airport. AFP-verified footage showed a thick column of black smoke rising above buildings at the airport.

Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said on X that Saudi air defences "successfully intercepted and destroyed" a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis toward Riyadh at dawn.

He added that the Houthis had also attempted to target civilians and civilian infrastructure in Bisha, Taif, Farasan and Yanbu, but said the attacks were thwarted by Saudi air defences.

The Houthis claimed they had carried out two military operations in response to recent Saudi strikes, using ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the first operation targeted sites in Riyadh, while the second struck Aramco facilities in Yanbu.

Saudi authorities had earlier issued an overnight air raid alert, with residents reporting sounds of explosions across parts of the capital. Flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 temporarily listed Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport under its highest disruption level before normal flight operations began to resume.

The US State Department and its embassies across the region also issued a security alert, warning that the conflict had the potential to escalate rapidly. It said the Iranian-backed Houthis had previously carried out attacks against Saudi Arabia, including strikes targeting civilian airports.

The incident came amid a fresh Houthi offensive in Yemen, where the group has seized significant territory along the country's Red Sea coast. Saudi Arabia has responded with repeated airstrikes on Houthi-held areas but has so far failed to halt the group's advance.

Riyadh residents said they received an alert shortly before 3am warning of an aerial threat and urging people to remain indoors. Two explosions were subsequently heard before Saudi civil defence authorities lifted the alert around 30 minutes later.

The attack followed Saudi Arabia's accusation earlier this week that the Houthis had targeted Mecca. Riyadh described the alleged attack as a terrorist act, while the Houthis denied responsibility and dismissed the accusation.

The escalating conflict has raised concerns over wider regional instability. Anna Jacobs of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington told AFP that Saudi Arabia appeared to be entering a new phase of escalation with the Houthis, while both sides understood that negotiations would ultimately be necessary.

The United Nations said renewed fighting had displaced more than 112,000 people, while nearly 3,000 others had crossed the sea to Djibouti.

Yemen's war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized control of the capital, Sanaa, and other areas, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention in March 2015. A fragile truce reached in 2022 later collapsed in July.

The latest developments came as the Houthis strengthen their positions along Yemen's Red Sea coastline, reportedly installing radar systems and constructing tunnels in areas recently brought under their control.