Saudi air defences intercept cruise missile over Madinah as Houthi attacks continue

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s air defences intercepted a cruise missile in the Madinah region on Thursday as missile and drone attacks attributed to Yemen’s Houthi militia continued across the Kingdom.

Drones were also intercepted in Khamis Mushait, the Eastern Region and other southern areas, Major General Turki Al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, said.

Saudi Civil Defense issued security warnings for Najran and Jizan before later announcing that the danger had passed. Authorities reiterated the Interior Ministry’s advisory against filming, publishing or sharing information about the impact sites of intercepted missiles and drones.

The latest interception followed several days of attacks targeting sites in Saudi Arabia. On Wednesday, debris from a Houthi ballistic missile intercepted over Riyadh injured an Arab resident and caused limited damage to a house and a vehicle, according to Saudi Civil Defense.

Late on Tuesday, Saudi air defences destroyed two Houthi cruise missiles over Riyadh. Falling debris injured four people and damaged around 15 residential houses, the authority said.

The coalition said on Thursday that the Houthis were deploying advanced weapons in their attacks. It also reported 20 strikes targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh since the beginning of the month.

A missile strike on one of the airport’s busy terminals on Saturday reportedly killed 13 people and injured hundreds, including pilgrims, women and children.