The key facts

  • Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense reported a minor injury to a Saudi citizen from debris of intercepted missiles in Riyadh
  • The debris damaged a house and a car; the Houthis claimed six attacks, including on oil refineries and airports
  • Fighting in Yemen has intensified amid the campaign of the Saudi-led coalition and the 'Dawn of Yemen' operation

Incident in Riyadh

On Thursday, a Saudi citizen in Riyadh sustained minor injuries after debris from two ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Houthis and intercepted over the capital fell to the ground. This was reported by Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense, according to which the debris also caused material damage to a house and a car. A spokesman for the agency said that the authorities followed established emergency procedures after intercepting and destroying the two missiles.

Houthi claims and conflict context

The same day, the Houthis announced six attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia, including oil refineries in Ras Tanura and Rabigh, Saudi Aramco facilities in Abqaiq, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, and King Fahd Airport in Dammam. The group claimed that the attacks hit their targets, disrupted air traffic at Dammam airport, and caused losses among Saudi forces in a separate strike on a military command facility in Najran; these claims come from the Houthis themselves and are not confirmed in the Civil Defense statement. According to Anadolu, fighting between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis has intensified in recent weeks amid the military campaign of the Saudi-led coalition. The current operations are part of the broader 'Dawn of Yemen' operation launched by pro-government forces to push the Houthis out of their positions on several fronts.