Saudi coalition says missile intercepted in Medina region

RIYADH: The Saudi-led military coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis on Thursday (Oct 15) said it had intercepted a cruise missile in the Medina region - home to one of Islam's holiest cities, but the Houthis denied carrying out any such attack.

"Interception and destruction of a cruise missile in the Medina region," coalition spokesman Turki Al-Malki wrote on X, with the statement also published by state media.

The Houthis quickly responded by saying they did not target the region on Thursday, and had previously vowed to spare the holy cities of Medina and Mecca.

Saudi Arabia has in recent days come under sustained attack from the Houthis, including a strike on Riyadh's international airport that was the kingdom's deadliest in years, as the war with the group escalates.

Riyadh has hit back with strikes against the Iran-backed group's stronghold in the Yemeni capital Sanaa.

Medina, the burial place of the Prophet Mohammed and home to the Prophet's Mosque, is one of Islam's holiest cities alongside Mecca.

The Houthis have vowed to continue targeting airports and other sites across Saudi Arabia but on Sunday said Mecca and Medina would be spared.

"The Yemeni armed forces confirm that they have not carried out any operation today targeting Saudi territory, and that the Saudi enemy's claims of an attack on Medina are a shameless and brazen lie," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree wrote on X on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the Houthis said they had targeted facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco, with Saudi officials reporting a strike on a building in an area housing the energy giant's operations centre.

The Saudi-led coalition has supported Yemen's government militarily against the Houthis since 2015 in a long-running civil war that has created a humanitarian crisis.