The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen's legitimate government announced early Saturday that it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Ansar Allah movement (Houthis) toward the Saudi capital, Riyadh, amid fierce clashes on the eastern front of Yemen's Taiz city.
اضافة اعلان
Coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Malki said air defenses intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the “Houthi terrorist militia” toward Riyadh.
According to Agence France-Presse, two powerful explosions were heard in the Riyadh area early Saturday after Civil Defense warned of an “enemy aerial attack.” The warning came shortly after the coalition announced the interception of a drone over the Eastern Province.
Civil Defense also issued similar warnings in Wadi Al-Dawasir, south of the capital, and Najran in southern Saudi Arabia. The warnings were later lifted.
The Houthis have intensified their attacks on Saudi Arabia this month, including strikes targeting Riyadh airport. One such attack on October 10 killed 13 people and injured hundreds, marking the deadliest attack on Saudi territory in more than a decade.
Heavy Clashes in Taiz
In Yemen, fierce fighting resumed between government forces and the Houthi group on the eastern front of Taiz, southwestern Yemen, accompanied by artillery shelling and air activity.
Al Jazeera Net correspondent reported renewed clashes on Taiz's eastern front involving heavy and medium weapons.
In Lahj Governorate in southern Yemen, the Houthis launched an attack on Al-Maqatirah Fortress.
A military source told Al Jazeera Net that the Houthis began their assault on the fortress at 2 a.m. Saturday after military movements and preparations had been underway since Friday evening.
The source said the group had deployed a reconnaissance drone over the fortress on Thursday evening. Government forces stationed there attempted to intercept and shoot down the drone before the attack began early Saturday.
The source said the Houthis deployed additional personnel and military vehicles, including a tank and a military vehicle, in an attempt to seize the fortress, adding that the fighting was still ongoing.
On Friday evening, government aircraft carried out four airstrikes targeting Houthi positions near the Sofitel Hotel east of Taiz, according to the military spokesperson for the government forces, who spoke to Al Jazeera Net.
The airstrikes came amid a military escalation across the governorate's fronts, while fighting resumed on the eastern front following several hours of relative calm after the aerial bombardment.
On October 5, Yemeni government forces, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, launched “Operation Dawn of Yemen” to retake areas under Houthi control, foremost among them the capital, Sanaa. The operation followed an escalation by the group in July 2026, described as the largest since the relative calm that followed the April 2022 truce.
Source: Al Jazeera + Agencies
