Saudi-led coalition says it downed Houthi missiles and drones aimed at two Saudi regions

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen announced on Tuesday that it had intercepted and destroyed ballistic missiles and drones fired by the Houthis at two regions of Saudi Arabia, amid a deepening conflict between the kingdom and the Iran-aligned group.

Details of the attack

According to the coalition, the Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia and four drones at the Southern Region.

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Saudi Civil Defense sent early warning alerts about a possible hostile threat in the Eastern Region and in Kharj governorate. It later stated that the danger had passed in both areas.

Intensified Saudi strikes

Saudi Arabia has stepped up its strikes against the Houthis since last month, when the group seized strategic areas on Yemen’s Red Sea coast and moved towards the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The strait is a key global shipping route for Gulf oil producers, located on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz.

Collapse of the truce

The renewed fighting has broken a truce mediated by the UN in 2022, which had largely stopped attacks between the two sides. The Saudi-led coalition supports Yemen’s internationally recognised government, while the Houthis control the capital Sanaa.

The escalation has also opened another front in the US-Israeli war on Iran.