Saudi coalition says it intercepts Houthi missiles, drones

Yemen's Saudi-led coalition said early ‌on Saturday ​it had intercepted two ballistic missiles and two drones launched by the Iran-backed Houthis towards the kingdom.

The coalition said in posts ‌on X that the missiles were headed towards Khamis Mushait and the drones towards the capital, Riyadh, adding that it was monitoring the missile threat and drones launched at the kingdom, without ‌providing further details. The Saudi civil defence had sent alerts overnight for Khamis Mushait and Abha but ‌not for Riyadh.

The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen and much of the north, have been launching attacks against Saudi Arabia since declaring a naval blockade against Riyadh in July, with strikes targeting ⁠Saudi vessels ​in the Red ⁠Sea. The attacks have targeted Saudi cities, energy infrastructure and shipping, adding to pressures on global oil supplies caused by ⁠the US-Israeli war on Iran and putting at risk the main alternative Red Sea route for Gulf ​exports while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains largely blocked.

Hours earlier, the military ⁠chiefs of Saudi Arabia and defence allies Pakistan and Turkey reviewed threats facing Saudi Arabia at a meeting in ⁠the ​Saudi capital. The three signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement last month, saying they would regard an armed attack on any of them to be an attack on all. They ⁠said the pact aimed to strengthen collective deterrence and military cooperation.

The Saudi defence minister, Prince ⁠Khalid bin Salman, ⁠said early on Saturday that he had affirmed with Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir in Riyadh continued joint efforts to confront attacks against the kingdom ‌in accordance ‌with the pact.