Saudi coalition says intercepted Houthi drones headed for Riyadh
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — The Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen’s Houthis said on Saturday it had intercepted drones and ballistic missiles, as the Iran-backed group launched fresh attacks, including on Riyadh, despite international condemnation.
The strikes were the latest in a series of escalating Houthi attacks since July, when renewed hostilities shattered a years-long truce and embroiled Yemen in the wider Middle East war.
The United Nations Security Council earlier condemned escalating attacks on Saudi Arabia by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, noting that the strikes have wounded “civilians, including women and children.”
The Houthis have imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, hitting its tankers, seizing swathes of Yemen’s Red Sea coast vital for oil exports and causing energy prices to jump, while also raining missiles on the kingdom.
A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition said on Saturday its air defences “intercepted and destroyed two drones launched by the terrorist Houthi militia towards the Riyadh area.”
Saudi air defences also intercepted and destroyed two Houthi-launched ballistic missiles targeting Khamis Mushait,........
