Saudi-led coalition says destroyed missiles, drones targeting Riyadh and south

RIYADH: The Saudi-led coalition said it destroyed four cruise missiles and three drones on Tuesday in the capital Riyadh and the kingdom's south, as Yemen's Houthis pressed on with attacks.

"Three cruise missiles destroyed in the Riyadh and southern areas," coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki wrote on X, later adding that "two drones intercepted and destroyed" in the same areas.

Minutes later, it said it had intercepted and destroyed another cruise missile targeting Riyadh.

The coalition later reported intercepting and destroying a third drone over Riyadh.

A powerful explosion rang out in the Saudi capital, with a phone alert sent to residents saying that "the city of Riyadh is facing a hostile aerial threat".

While walking down a major avenue in Riyadh, a witness told AFP he "saw a projectile cutting across the sky" above a mall, saying it left "a yellowish trail of light followed by a trail of smoke. Then, we heard an explosion".

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"People were calm; no one was speaking. We were scared and all looking up at the sky," he added, requesting anonymity.

Saudi Civil Defence later reported brief alerts warning of a potential danger in Al-Sulayil and Wadi Dawasir, two towns in the southwest of Riyadh province, several hundred kilometres from the capital.

The reported strikes came after the Houthis attacked Riyadh's international airport on Saturday, leaving 13 people dead and operations suspended in the worst attack since 2015.

Maliki announced on Tuesday that the coalition had launched strikes in Yemen's Sanaa and the western provinces of Dhamar and Saada, targeting facilities used to "supply the war effort" by the Houthis.