Riyadh drones intercepted, Saudi coalition says

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said Saturday that its air defences intercepted and destroyed two drones launched toward the Riyadh area and two ballistic missiles targeting Khamis Mushait in southwest Saudi Arabia.

The coalition described the drones and missiles as Houthi-launched. Khamis Mushait is home to an air base.

The reported interceptions came amid escalating Houthi attacks since July, when renewed hostilities ended a years-long truce and drew Yemen further into the wider Middle East war.

Hezam Al-Assad, a member of the Houthi Political Bureau, said Saturday that “despite the operation's strength, scope, and impact,” the group's armed forces viewed it as “merely a small-scale rehearsal for a full-scale escalation.”

The United Nations Security Council earlier condemned escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, noting that strikes have wounded civilians, including women and children.

Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, denounced Saturday's attacks and called them a violation of Saudi sovereignty and a threat to civilians and regional stability.

The United Nations says a Houthi ground campaign against Yemeni forces has displaced 138,000 people across Yemen since August, including 70,000 children.