The key facts

  • According to the coalition, its air defenses intercepted a Houthi cruise missile over the Riyadh region
  • The interception was announced by the coalition's spokesman, Major General Turki al-Maliki
  • The statement was made amid an escalation between the coalition and the Houthis

Interception over Riyadh

The Saudi Arabia-led military coalition in Yemen said on Saturday that its air defenses intercepted and destroyed a cruise missile launched by the Houthis toward Saudi Arabia's Riyadh region. The announcement was made by the coalition's spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki in a post on the social network X, in which he called the Houthis a 'terrorist militia.' The information comes from the coalition itself; the report contains no separate confirmation or comment from the Houthis.

Context of the confrontation

The statement came amid an escalation of fighting between the coalition and the Yemeni Houthi group. The coalition has supported Yemen's internationally recognized government since 2015 — after the Houthis seized the country's capital, Sanaa, and other parts of it a year earlier. According to Anadolu, the report of the interception did not include any information about casualties or damage.