The Saudi-led coalition announced on Monday that its air defence systems had intercepted and destroyed two drones over the Riyadh region in central Saudi Arabia. However, officials did not identify the party responsible for launching the unmanned aircraft.
Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki confirmed the interceptions in a statement posted on X, saying that both drones had been successfully destroyed. He did not provide further information about possible casualties or damage to property.
Earlier on Monday, al-Maliki reported that Saudi air defences had also intercepted a ballistic missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi group towards the kingdom’s southern region.
Meanwhile, Saudi Civil Defense issued all-clear notices for Abha and Najran, along with the governorates of Khamis Mushait and Taif, following earlier security alerts. Authorities did not disclose the specific threats that had triggered the warnings.
In a separate statement, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed that the group had carried out two drone attacks targeting Dammam airport in eastern Saudi Arabia over the previous 48 hours. According to Saree, the operations disrupted air traffic at the facility.
He further claimed that a drone had directly struck an early-warning radar system in Jazan, southwestern Saudi Arabia, near the Yemeni border. The Houthi spokesperson also alleged that a military transport aircraft at Jazan airport had been targeted.
These developments come as tensions and military confrontations between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition continue to intensify. The coalition has been supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government in its conflict with the Houthi movement.
Saudi Arabia has headed the military coalition against the Houthis since March 2015. The intervention began after the group captured Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and expanded its control over other parts of the country in 2014.
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