Ballistic Missile Intercepted Near Riyadh Amid Aramco Depot Fire

A ballistic missile launched towards Riyadh was intercepted and destroyed by Saudi air defences early Saturday, the Saudi-led military coalition announced, according to AFP. The attack, attributed to Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi group, occurred as a fire erupted at an Aramco fuel depot near King Khalid International Airport, where firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze.

Video footage shared online and verified by AFP showed thick black smoke rising over the airport's vicinity. Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 reported major disruptions at the airport following the incident, though normal operations resumed later in the day.

The coalition spokesperson, Turki al-Malki, stated on the social media platform X that the Houthis also attempted strikes on Bisha, Taif, Farasan, and Yanbu, aiming at civilian targets, but all attacks were thwarted by Saudi air defenses. The Houthis claimed responsibility, with their military spokesperson Yahya Saree saying they had targeted sensitive sites in Riyadh and Aramco facilities in Yanbu with a combination of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones.

Residents of Riyadh described hearing alarms and explosions during the attack, with some reporting their windows shaking. "I heard the alarm, then my windows shook," a resident told AFP, describing the situation as frightening. The Saudi Civil Defence agency issued and later lifted an air raid alert.

The incident follows renewed clashes between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, including allegations by the Saudis of an attempted attack on Makkah, which the Houthis denied. The United States approved a $24.3 billion sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia amid rising tensions, and a U.S. State Department alert warned that hostilities have the potential to escalate rapidly.