The international military coalition led by Saudi Arabia has announced this Sunday that it has managed to intercept and destroy a total of five projectiles launched by the Houthi rebel militia in the last few hours over the capital, Riyadh, and several areas in the south of the kingdom. According to the alliance command, this involves two cruise missiles and three ballistic missiles neutralized before reaching their targets.
"Interception and destruction of two cruise missiles in the regions of Riyadh and the South," the coalition spokesperson, Turki al Maliki, reported in a post on his social media.
According to the information provided by the coalition, Saudi air defenses reacted immediately to prevent a violation of the country's airspace and avoid impacts on the ground. To date, local authorities have not reported the existence of fatalities, injuries, or material damage at the points overflown by the missiles.
This new launch occurs amid an intensification of cross-border attacks carried out by Houthi forces against key infrastructure and urban areas in Saudi territory, within the framework of the war in Yemen, where the conflict has escalated in recent weeks.
The Houthis, who on September 3 began a large-scale offensive in western Yemen, have stepped up attacks with missiles and drones against Saudi Arabia, reaching even several airports, in response to the military backing that the international coalition led by Riyadh provides to the Yemen government recognized by the international community.
For their part, forces loyal to the authorities of Yemen internationally recognized announced on October 4 the start of a large-scale offensive with the aim of recapturing areas recently taken by the Houthis and advancing toward the capital, Sana'a, rebel-controlled since 2014. These ground operations also have the direct support of the international coalition led by Saudi Arabia.