Saudi Air Defences Intercept Houthi Ballistic Missile Launched Towards Riyadh

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said on Saturday, October 24, 2026, that its air defences had intercepted a ballistic missile launched towards Riyadh by the Iran-backed group. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki posted the announcement on X and attributed the launch to the Houthis. He wrote: "Air defences intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthi terrorist militia towards Riyadh."

Two explosions rang out in Riyadh early on Saturday, an AFP journalist in the Saudi capital said. Saudi civil defence said an early warning system was activated to alert residents to a potential threat. Al Jazeera carried the interception in its live coverage at 02:37 UTC, reporting that coalition air defences had downed a Houthi ballistic missile targeting Riyadh.

A drone intercepted in the Eastern Province

The missile was not the only interception on Saturday. A drone was also intercepted in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province earlier that day, al-Malki said in an earlier post. The two announcements point to a coordinated set of launches aimed at the kingdom on the same morning, one at the capital and one at the eastern region.

No word on casualties or damage

The coalition statement gave no information about casualties or damage from the Saturday interceptions, and no casualties or damage were reported in the AFP wire at the time of the announcement. Okay News, which reported the same coalition statement, noted that the interception and the attribution to the Houthis had not been independently verified by its own reporting.

The second day of attacks in a row

Saturday's missile followed an attack the day before. On Friday, October 23, the coalition announced that its defences had destroyed ballistic missiles directed towards Riyadh and Khamis Mushait, as well as drones approaching the southern region. Saudi Arabia has come under sustained attack from the Houthis this month, including a strike on Riyadh's international airport that was the country's deadliest attack in years.

Fighting in Yemen reignited in July

The attacks sit inside a wider war that has restarted. Fighting in Yemen reignited in July 2026 after an uneasy four-year truce, months into the US-Iran conflict. Saudi Arabia has accused Iran of encouraging the Houthis to escalate their campaign against the kingdom. Tehran has denied involvement in the Houthi attacks.