Nov 10 (Reuters) – The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said on Tuesday it intercepted and destroyed two missiles launched by Yemen’s Houthis towards Riyadh, amid weeks of escalating hostilities between the kingdom and the Iran-aligned group.
The coalition said its air defences destroyed a ballistic missile and a cruise missile fired at the Saudi capital.
Saudi Civil Defence had earlier issued an early-warning alert for Riyadh before the coalition announced the interceptions, later saying the threat in the capital had passed.
In a separate statement, the coalition said that it had also intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis towards Saudi Arabia’s southern region.
Saudi Civil Defence had previously issued warning alerts for the southwestern cities of Abha and Khamis Mushait, before later saying the danger had passed.
Southern Saudi Arabia, which borders Yemen, has repeatedly been hit by Houthi missile and drone attacks on military sites and energy infrastructure.
Fighting between the Houthis and the coalition backing Yemen’s internationally recognised government has intensified after the Houthis advanced in September towards the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic shipping chokepoint at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, across the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz.
The Houthis have stepped up strikes on Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities amid the wider US-Israeli war with Iran, while Saudi Arabia has carried out airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.
(Reporting by Enas Alashray in Cairo; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Stephen Coates)
