RIYADH: Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi militia toward Khamis Mushayt in the Kingdom’s southwest early Monday, while Civil Defense issued an emergency alert in nearby Abha before later declaring that the danger had passed.
Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki, spokesman for the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, posted on the social media platform X that the missile was intercepted and destroyed.
The Saudi General Directorate of Civil Defense also issued an alert on X warning of a potential attack on Abha. It subsequently announced that the danger had passed.
The latest developments mark a renewed focus on southwestern Saudi Arabia following a series of attacks on the Kingdom’s major airports in Riyadh and Dammam.
Khamis Mushayt and Abha, both in the mountainous Asir region, have been targeted by Houthi missile and drone attacks in recent weeks. The group has also targeted Jazan and Najran, two regions bordering Yemen, where the Iran-aligned militia is based.
The latest missile interception came amid an intensifying campaign against Saudi Arabia’s civilian infrastructure, including airports in the Kingdom’s central and eastern regions.
On Sunday, a Pakistani national was killed and 11 others injured when an unidentified projectile struck Terminal 4 at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, triggering a fire. The General Authority of Civil Aviation said the injured were taken to hospital and that authorities were assessing the damage.
Sunday’s attack was the fourth reported strike on Riyadh’s airport in five days. Coalition forces also said air defenses intercepted and destroyed a cruise missile near the airport.
The attack followed Saturday’s missile strike on the capital’s airport, which killed 13 people and wounded more than 300. It was the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.
Footage released by Saudi state television of the Saturday attack on the Riyadh airport showed scores of religious pilgrims lined up at a gate as they prepared to travel to Islam’s two holiest sites. A bright orange flash sent people running in panic, while parts of the roof appeared to cave in.
The airport was closed after the attack, the deadliest in the kingdom in more than a decade.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack and said they had also struck King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, in the Eastern Province, as well as two facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco.
Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority confirmed that Dammam’s airport had been targeted on Sunday evening, saying damage assessments and safety inspections were underway.
The latest attacks have heightened concerns about the security of Saudi Arabia’s aviation infrastructure and the potential for further escalation as the Kingdom continues to support Yemen’s internationally recognized government in its conflict with the Houthis.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan discussed regional tensions and efforts to de-escalate the conflict with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on Sunday, according to SPA. Araqchi said Tehran was ready to help facilitate dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
The diplomatic contacts followed expressions of solidarity with Saudi Arabia from Bahrain, the United Kingdom, Jordan and the European Union after the attacks on Riyadh’s airport.