Houthi missile strike in Riyadh, 3 shot down

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have fired ballistic missiles at the capital Riyadh after Saudi Arabia’s eastern province. The Saudi-led military coalition said two ballistic missiles fired from the east and one fired towards Riyadh were destroyed in the air. The incident is the latest in a series of attacks by the Houthis targeting cities and important installations in Saudi Arabia in recent days.

On Sunday morning (November 8), the country’s civil defense authorities issued a warning of possible missile attacks in the areas of Dammam, Al-Ahsa and Buqaiq in the eastern province of Dammam. Major General Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the military coalition, said the Houthis in Yemen had fired a ballistic missile at the eastern region. The Saudi air defense system prevented and destroyed it. The alert was lifted after the danger passed.

Shortly after, two ballistic missiles were fired at Riyadh. The Saudi-led coalition said the missiles were intercepted before they reached the two targets. A warning was issued in some areas, including Riyadh, but authorities later said the situation was normal.

Since the beginning of November, there has been an increase in missile and drone attacks in various parts of Saudi Arabia. According to the Saudi military coalition, at least 15 ballistic and cruise missiles and drones fired at targets in the first eight days of the month were intercepted or destroyed. The targets include Riyadh, the Eastern Region, Najran, Mecca and Medina. Airports, energy installations and other critical infrastructure are also at risk of attacks.

The airstrikes took place on Saturday in the village of al-Sharia, east of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. The Houthi-controlled health ministry said at least 33 people were killed and 39 wounded in the Saudi-led coalition’s attack. Among the deceased were 13 children, eight women and 12 men. However, Reuters could not independently verify the number of casualties. Saudi Arabia’s International Communications Center said it was investigating the attack.

Earlier on Friday, 30 people were killed in an attack on a market in Yemen’s Taiz province. The Saudi-backed forces and the Houthis have blamed each other for the attack. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sari said several missiles and drones had targeted Saudi Arabia’s Aramco oil facility, Riyadh airport and border areas with Saudi troops. These claims could not be independently verified.

In July, a new conflict broke out between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the Iranian-backed Houthis, ending a long-standing relative calm. As a result, the UN-brokered ceasefire established in 2022 virtually collapsed. Since then, the Houthis have launched missile and drone attacks targeting airports, oil installations and military installations in Saudi Arabia. On the other hand, the Saudi-led coalition, backed by Yemen’s internationally recognized government, has continued to carry out airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas.
The humanitarian situation in Yemen is likely to deteriorate further as the conflict spreads. According to the United Nations, more than 1,600 people have been killed and more than 300,000 displaced in the country since fighting began in July. The suffering of ordinary people in the country, already devastated by the prolonged civil war, food and water shortages, and health care restrictions, is adding to the suffering.

Yemen’s civil war began in 2014 after the Houthis captured the capital Sanaa. The following year, in 2015, the Saudi-led coalition launched a military operation aimed at restoring the internationally recognized government. A UN-brokered ceasefire was established in 2022 after a protracted conflict, but the resumption of fighting in July this year has sparked tensions across the region.

Source: Reuters, AP, Al Jazeera, Arab News and AFP.