Two ballistic missiles intercepted near Mecca and Jeddah as Houthi attacks on Riyadh continue

Key Facts

The Houthis’ claimed attacks on Saudi Arabia widened to include Riyadh and other areas, though it was not confirmed whether the strikes hit their targets. Saudi Civil Defense said debris from two intercepted ballistic missiles fell at sites in Mecca, Jeddah, Taif and Rabigh on October 24, without giving a casualty toll. The following day, the coalition command said it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched toward Riyadh. The developments come as missile and drone attacks on the capital continue, while parts of King Khalid International Airport have reopened. Damage to oil facilities cited in Houthi claims remained unconfirmed in available reports.

In its statement on the interception of the two missiles on October 24, Civil Defense said they had been launched toward “the two regions,” and that its teams dealt with debris falling in Mecca, Jeddah, Taif and Rabigh. The statement did not say whether the debris caused damage or injuries, so the authorities’ account included no casualty toll. On October 25, the Saudi Press Agency attributed to the coalition the interception of another ballistic missile headed for Riyadh, saying it had been destroyed. These events show that defenses reported intercepting projectiles on two consecutive days, with debris falling across several cities. Interception statements alone do not establish whether the sites the Houthis said they targeted were hit.

The continued attacks toward the capital coincided with the resumption of operations at Terminals 1 and 2 for domestic and international flights at King Khalid International Airport, according to the Associated Press on October 25. The Houthis had again launched missiles and drones toward Riyadh, the agency reported, while the airport announced the terminals’ reopening to air traffic. Days earlier, the agency reported that Lufthansa and Air France had canceled flights to Riyadh until mid-November, while Saudi Arabian Airlines and flynas were among the carriers operating flights on Wednesday, October 21. The differing operating decisions show how airspace developments affected flight traffic, with some carriers continuing service and others canceling flights through a specified date. The reopening of the terminals remains the latest operational development cited by the sources provided, with no further details on flight schedules or carriers’ decisions afterward.

In Yemen, the targets the Houthis said they had attacked included an air base in Khamis Mushait, Saudi Arabia, and a naval base and military camp in Aden, according to a Reuters report. The coalition command, in turn, said it had destroyed two ballistic missiles launched toward Yanbu and Taif. These accounts remain attributed to the parties that announced them; the report does not independently confirm that each site named by the Houthis was hit or establish the results of the claimed strikes. Reuters also reported that it was unclear whether the attacks had reached their targets or been intercepted by defenses. This requires distinguishing between claims of attacks on sites in Saudi Arabia and Yemen and Saudi interception statements that documented debris falling in specific cities.

Reuters had listed Saudi oil facilities among the targets the Houthis said they had attacked, including pumping stations and a pipeline running from the kingdom’s east to its west. The report did not establish whether the facilities were hit, nor did it confirm any disruption to energy operations or change in supplies as a result of the attacks. The significance of the pipeline and pumping stations in this incident therefore remained tied to the reported targeting, rather than to a confirmed operational impact. The EL7 information provided also did not establish a move in oil prices following the developments, so no market reading was available in the facts provided that could be linked to the attacks. An earlier EL7 report on September 7 covered Houthi attacks on 4 Saudi cities that temporarily halted some energy operations; that was a separate earlier incident from the current reports.

The attacks come amid an escalation in fighting after the collapse of the 2022 ceasefire agreement, which had largely halted battles in Yemen’s civil war, according to the Associated Press. The United Nations secretary-general also described Houthi attacks on civilian targets in Saudi Arabia as “absolutely unacceptable,” the agency reported. On defensive measures, Britain announced defensive air patrols by the Royal Air Force over Saudi Arabia to help protect cities, civilians and critical infrastructure from missiles and drones. London said the patrols would not carry out strikes on Houthi targets on the ground. The information provided did not specify a later date for the patrols or another timing update on their course.