Saudi coalition says 2 Houthi missiles, 4 drones intercepted

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said Thursday that its forces intercepted two ballistic missiles and four drones fired at Saudi Arabia by the Iran-backed group.

The coalition said on X that it intercepted and destroyed the missiles and drones over Jazan, a southern Saudi city near energy and oil facilities targeted in recent weeks, and Khamis Mushait, a southwestern city that is home to an airbase.

The coalition blamed what it called the Houthi terrorist militia. Saudi Civil Defence said debris that fell after a ballistic missile was intercepted in Khamis Mushait province caused limited material damage.

The reported interceptions are the latest in a series of Houthi attacks since July, when renewed hostilities shattered a years-long truce and drew Yemen into the wider Middle East war.

Fighting intensified in September as the Houthis launched an offensive that saw them seize Yemen's Red Sea coast, including the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital shipping lane. The Houthis have also launched a blockade on Saudi energy exports, already affected by Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Yemen's war erupted in 2014, when the Houthis seized Sanaa from the Saudi-backed government. Riyadh intervened the following year at the head of an international coalition.