Riyadh: The Saudi-led coalition said on Tuesday that it had intercepted and destroyed 2 ballistic missiles launched by Yemen’s Houthi group towards Khamis Mushait, amid escalating attacks on Saudi airports.
Coalition spokesperson Turki Al-Maliki announced the interception in a post on X. According to Qatar News Agency, the coalition said the missiles had been intercepted and destroyed on Monday evening. The coalition had earlier reported intercepting another ballistic missile launched towards Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence had earlier issued an alert asking residents of Khamis Mushait Governorate to remain vigilant over a potential threat. In a subsequent post on X, the agency said the danger had passed and urged residents to follow its safety instructions, avoid gathering and refrain from filming. It also provided 998 as the emergency contact number.
Houthis claim attacks on Riyadh airport, Khamis Mushait airbase
The interception followed claims by Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree that the group’s forces had targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with a ballistic missile and carried out a drone operation against Khamis Mushait Air Base.
In a statement posted on Telegram on Tuesday, Saree claimed that the missile strike on Riyadh airport had been precise.
He also warned international airlines and travellers against operating flights to Saudi airports, claiming they were unsafe, while making an exception for airports and airspace in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
Saree further claimed that a drone operation targeting Khamis Mushait Air Base had struck its intended target. These claims have not been independently verified.
Turkey condemns attacks; UAE adviser calls for Gulf security cooperation
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the Houthi attacks on Riyadh airport and expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia.
“We strongly condemn the attacks carried out by the Houthis … targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh,” Erdogan said after chairing a Cabinet meeting in Ankara, according to Al Jazeera.
He expressed condolences for those killed, including people performing the Umrah pilgrimage, and wished the hundreds of injured people a speedy recovery.
“Turkiye stands with Saudi Arabia and our Saudi brothers and sisters in the face of these attacks that violate law and humanity. We want peace and stability across our entire region,” he added.
Meanwhile, UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash called for renewed joint Gulf action, particularly in security and defence, and for strengthening the region’s collective security framework.
In a post on X on Monday, Gargash said the attacks had demonstrated that the security of Gulf states was interconnected and that targeting Saudi Arabia also threatened the security of the UAE and other Gulf nations.
He said there was an urgent need to strengthen regional security cooperation, adding that the security of Gulf states was a shared responsibility.
US Embassy warns citizens against filming security incidents
Separately, the US Embassy in Riyadh said American citizens had been detained for photographing recent security incidents in Saudi Arabia. It did not disclose how many people had been detained or whether they had been released.
“American citizens have been detained for taking photos of recent events,” the embassy said.
It also warned that Saudi authorities had cautioned that filming, publishing or sharing information about missile and drone interceptions, or their impact sites, could result in legal liability.
Yemen report operations against Houthis
The developments come as Yemeni government forces continue their campaign against the Houthis.
According to Al Jazeera, Yemeni military spokesperson Majeed al-Nuzaili said government forces had conducted 1,879 “targeting operations” against the group under the “Dawn of Yemen” campaign, which aims to recapture Houthi-held territory.
Al-Nuzaili said combat aircraft, artillery and rocket launchers had been used to target Houthi positions. He also claimed that the operations had destroyed 380 military vehicles and thwarted attempts by the group to reinforce positions and reorganise its forces. These figures were attributed to the Yemeni military spokesperson.
Saudi airports attacked
The latest missile interception follows a series of attacks on Saudi airports in recent days.
On October 10, an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 12 people and injured 309, according to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). The Indian Embassy in Riyadh subsequently confirmed that an Indian national who had been injured in the attack died, taking the reported death toll from that incident to 13.
Earlier attacks targeting King Khalid International Airport and Abha International Airport on October 6 and 7 killed 3 people and injured 36, according to GACA.
Airport operations were temporarily suspended following the attacks as authorities assessed the damage and carried out safety inspections in coordination with relevant agencies.
