Riyadh missile attack foiled: two ballistic missiles and three drones intercepted
The Riyadh skyline, including the Kingdom Tower and the King Abdullah Financial District. Saudi air defences intercepted two ballistic missiles fired towards the capital early on Sunday. Photo: B.alotaby / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
RIYADH: Saudi air defences intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired towards the capital early on Sunday, in the latest Riyadh missile attack to target the Saudi capital. The Saudi-led coalition said three drones launched towards the kingdom’s Eastern Province were also destroyed.
Civil defence alert at 4:08 a.m.
Saudi Civil Defence sounded an alert in Riyadh at 4:08 a.m., warning residents of an incoming aerial threat. The alert was lifted a short while later. Coalition spokesman Maj Gen Turki al-Maliki announced on X that both missiles had been intercepted and destroyed. Al Jazeera reported that a third drone was brought down over the eastern region within three hours, and on Saturday the coalition said it had destroyed two drones launched towards Riyadh and the southern regions.
Attacks intensifying; Aramco tower damaged last week
The Houthis have intensified their attacks on the Saudi capital in recent days. Last week, an attack damaged an administrative building belonging to state oil company Saudi Aramco in Riyadh’s financial hub; witnesses told AFP that the Aramco tower in the King Abdullah Financial District was hit, with glass shattered across several floors. The Eastern Province, the kingdom’s oil-rich economic powerhouse, has faced several attacks in recent weeks. The Houthis have stepped up strikes on Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities, while Saudi Arabia has ramped up airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in response. Bahrain has also issued a potential danger alert.
Pakistan urges dialogue
Pakistan, meanwhile, told the UN Security Council on Friday that military provocations in the Gulf must end immediately and regional diplomacy must be renewed. Pakistan’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Syed Haider Shah, condemned attacks against Gulf countries and called for respect for their sovereignty and territorial integrity, the protection of civilians and commercial shipping, and the restoration of normal maritime traffic.
