Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted three Houthi missiles
The coalition’s later account names Riyadh, Taif and Yanbu, expanding its earlier description of two missiles headed towards Taif and Yanbu.
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The coalition’s later account names Riyadh, Taif and Yanbu, expanding its earlier description of two missiles headed towards Taif and Yanbu.
The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted three ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis towards Riyadh, Taif and Yanbu on 24 October. The account, carried by the Associated Press, raises the previously reported figure from two and adds Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, to the named destinations.
In the earlier Reuters account carried by France 24 on 24 October, the coalition said it destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis towards Yanbu and Taif.
A 2022 truce brokered by the United Nations had largely halted cross-border attacks between the coalition and the Houthis before falling apart in July. The coalition backs Yemen’s internationally recognised government, while the Houthis control Sanaa, the capital.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group targeted airports in Riyadh, Dammam and Najran, an Aramco facility in Yanbu, the Rabigh oil refinery, crude oil pumping stations, the East-West Pipeline and an airbase in Khamis Mushait.
In Aden, Yemen’s Interior Ministry said two Houthi missiles struck a coast guard headquarters and a third hit a coast guard building in the Tawahi district.
Saree gave a different account of the targets in Aden. He said Houthi forces targeted Saudi-backed military gatherings at what he called Al-Nasr camp and a naval military base, alleging that Saudi officers were overseeing mobilisation there.
Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense said on 24 October that two Houthi ballistic missiles launched towards Mecca and Medina had been intercepted, and warned of falling missile debris. Its account named different destinations from the coalition’s account of missiles fired towards Riyadh, Taif and Yanbu.
The October 26 vote empowers President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to support Saudi defence on request. He says any military action would protect Saudi territory and borders, not strike Yemen.
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Earlier on 24 October, the agency warned residents of potential danger in Taif, Yanbu, Mecca and Jeddah. About 10 minutes later, it said the threat had passed.
The Houthis denied targeting Mecca and Medina. They said their Saudi targets were three airports, oil infrastructure and an airbase.
In a Facebook statement on 24 October, Yemen’s Transport Ministry condemned what it described as the targeting of Aden International Airport with two ballistic missiles, Al Jazeera said. The ministry called it the fourth such attack that month.
The ministry warned that attacks on the airport threatened civil aviation safety and had humanitarian and economic consequences for citizens who rely on it.
The coalition says it attacked a Houthi missile depot and that Saudi air defences intercepted a missile headed for Riyadh; the Houthis claim strikes on Saudi oil facilities and targets in Yemen.
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The reported interceptions coincide with an announced airport reopening, while the UN warns that time is running out to deliver aid to 800,000 people trapped in Taiz.
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Update ·
The coalition’s later account raises the interception figure from two missiles to three and adds Riyadh alongside Taif and Yanbu.
Update ·
Adds Yemen’s Transport Ministry’s account of two missiles targeting Aden airport and its aviation safety warning, alongside Saudi civil defence’s interception account and the Houthis’ denial of targeting Mecca and Medina.