Saudi-Yemeni coalition says it destroyed three Houthi missiles and four drones
The Iran-backed Yemeni group the Houthis fired three ballistic missiles toward eastern Saudi Arabia and four drones toward Kharj in the south. The Saudi-Yemeni military coalition said all of the missiles and drones were intercepted and destroyed with the help of its air defence systems.
Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki gave the information in a message posted on the social media platform X.
Saudi civil defence had issued warnings in the eastern region and in Kharj province over possible hostilities. It later said the danger had passed in both areas.
Saudi strikes on the Houthis have intensified since last month, after the Houthis seized strategic areas on Yemen's Red Sea coast.
The Houthis are advancing toward the Bab al-Mandeb strait, an important global shipping route. Located on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz, the route is vital for the oil-producing countries of the Gulf region.
The renewed fighting between the two sides has broken the ceasefire reached in 2022 through United Nations mediation. That ceasefire had largely halted attacks between the Saudi-led coalition, which supports Yemen's internationally recognised government, and the Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa.
The conflict between the two sides is growing more intense. That escalation has opened a new front in the United States and Israel's fight against Iran.
