Saudi Forces Intercept Houthi’s Missile, Drone Targeting Riyadh

Saudi-led coalition forces intercepted a ballistic missile and a drone heading towards Riyadh, a spokesperson said on Sunday, a day after two ballistic missiles targeting the areas of Mecca and Medina were destroyed.

Major General Turki Al-Maliki, spokesperson for the coalition forces, said in a statement on X that the ballistic missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi group towards Riyadh was destroyed in the air. A drone heading towards the Saudi capital was also intercepted.

On Saturday night, Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence Department said two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis towards the Mecca and Medina regions had been intercepted and destroyed in the air.

According to the department, debris from the two missiles fell at several locations, including Jeddah, Taif and Rabigh.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group has been carrying out drone and ballistic and cruise missile attacks against Saudi Arabia since September 2026, primarily targeting southern and western cities as well as oil installations.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, head of religious affairs at the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, condemned the repeated Houthi missile and drone attacks targeting the two holy cities.

He warned that the security and sanctity of the Two Holy Mosques were a “red line” that could not be crossed.

According to the Saudi Press Agency, Al-Sudais said the repeated attacks reflected the group’s “criminal conduct” and hostile intentions towards Muslims and their holy sites.

He described the attacks as a clear violation of Islamic law, which calls for the protection of holy sites, and said they also violated international humanitarian principles.