Riyadh, October 27, 2026: Saudi Arabia’s air defences intercepted ballistic missiles launched by Yemen’s Houthi group towards the kingdom, while the group claimed an attack on the Ras Tanura oil refinery, the country’s largest, according to reports on Tuesday.
Coalition spokesperson Turki Al-Malki said in a post on X that air defences “intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the terrorist Houthi militia toward Riyadh”.
Earlier, the Houthis said they had launched an attack on the Ras Tanura refinery, located on Saudi Arabia’s Gulf coast.
Saudi Arabia had contained a fire near its largest oil export terminal at Ras Tanura following an attack in the region, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing a person familiar with the matter.
The fire broke out early Tuesday near facilities operated by state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco. The extent of any damage was not immediately clear, according to the report.
In a separate statement, the Saudi-led coalition said its air defences had intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis towards the kingdom’s Eastern Province. The announcement did not specify the intended targets or provide details about possible casualties or damage.
On Monday, the coalition reported intercepting and destroying three drones over the Riyadh region and southern Saudi Arabia, without identifying their origin or intended targets.
The coalition also announced strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen, claiming to have destroyed ballistic missile launchers, storage tunnels and a missile depot.
Al-Maliki said the operations were aimed at dismantling the group’s ballistic missile network and disrupting its supply routes.
Saudi Arabia has intensified its strikes on the Houthis since the group captured strategic areas along Yemen’s Red Sea coast last month and advanced towards the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical global shipping route.
The renewed fighting has undermined the United Nations-brokered truce of 2022, which had largely halted attacks between the Saudi-led coalition, backing Yemen’s internationally recognised government, and the Houthis, who control the capital, Sanaa.
The latest escalation has also added another regional front to the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran, raising concerns over security and the potential disruption of vital energy supplies and international shipping routes.
