Riyadh/Sanaa, October 24, 2026: The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthi rebels said it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-aligned group towards Taif and Yanbu on Saturday, as fighting between the sides continued.
Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense briefly issued alerts warning residents of potential danger in Taif and Yanbu, as well as in the holy city of Mecca and the kingdom’s second-largest city, Jeddah.
The interceptions came two days after the Houthis claimed to have attacked Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry in Riyadh, facilities belonging to oil giant Saudi Aramco in the Red Sea city of Yanbu, and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam. Saudi authorities said two people were killed in the reported incidents.
However, Saudi authorities have not confirmed the reported attacks in Riyadh and Yanbu.
Reuters reported on Thursday that Aramco had instructed staff to evacuate its headquarters in Dhahran, citing six people familiar with the matter.
The Saudi-led coalition said on Thursday that it had intercepted drones over Riyadh and Medina, near Yanbu. On Wednesday, the Houthis denied launching drones towards Medina after the coalition reported intercepting drones over the holy city and Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.
Earlier this month, the Houthis warned airlines against using Saudi airspace, exempting only the airspace over Mecca and Medina, as attacks on the kingdom intensified.
The renewed fighting has shattered a United Nations-brokered truce agreed in 2022, which had largely halted cross-border attacks between the Saudi-led coalition, which supports Yemen’s internationally recognised government, and the Houthis, who control the capital, Sanaa.
The latest escalation has opened another front in the wider US-Israeli war on Iran, raising concerns about further regional instability.
