Saudi Army Confirms: We Intercepted Houthi Ballistic Missile Toward Riyadh — Air Raid Alarm in Capital for First Time Since July

In a statement issued Saturday evening, the Saudi army announced that the country’s air defense had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by Houthi rebels at dawn toward Riyadh, and had thwarted other attack attempts across the country.

It is the first official Saudi confirmation of the attack that shook the capital on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, Saudi Civil Defense issued air-raid warnings to residents of Riyadh and its surroundings, urging them to stay indoors due to an aerial threat. It is the first time the capital has received such an alarm since fighting in Yemen intensified in July.

Similar alarms were issued in Jeddah and in Yanbu, the Red Sea industrial port that hosts critical oil infrastructure.

The Iran-backed Houthis claimed on Saturday they had carried out missile and drone attacks against several Saudi targets, including “sensitive targets” in Riyadh and a facility of oil giant Aramco in Yanbu. The group said the attacks were retaliation for Saudi military operations against their positions in Yemen, and accused Riyadh of carrying out 26 airstrikes against them within 24 hours.

Reuters footage showed a large column of black smoke rising near Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, but it remained unclear what caused the fire. Authorities canceled flights and warned of a possible air attack, before issuing the all-clear and returning operations to normal.

The escalation comes as the expanded Middle East war pushes oil prices above $100 a barrel: the Houthis took control last week of the Red Sea coastline and the Bab el-Mandeb strait, which Saudi Arabia used as an alternative export route while the Strait of Hormuz remains in the U.S.–Iran deadlock.

Burimi: CNN / Washington Examiner