Saudi air defenses intercept Houthi missile north of Riyadh as rebels strike Aden International Airport

Saudi air defense forces intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile in the skies north of Riyadh early Wednesday, as Iran-backed Houthi forces simultaneously targeted Aden International Airport with missiles and drones in a dramatic widening of regional hostilities.

How did Saudi coalition forces respond to the missile strike near Riyadh?

Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki confirmed the interception north of the Saudi capital on social media platform X, stating that military intelligence tracked the missile's launch site back to Houthi-controlled territory in Sanaa. Al-Maliki emphasized that coalition forces are tracking the launch platform in real time and vowed to neutralize surface-to-surface missile infrastructure across Sanaa, Saada, and Amran governorates. The Riyadh interception follows another destroyed missile aimed at the southern city of Khamis Mushait earlier in the day, as well as drone strikes that damaged airport facilities in Jazan and Najran.

According to reports by the Saudi Gazette and Anadolu Agency, the cross-border strikes come amid an intensified air campaign by coalition jets targeting Houthi weapons depots, naval mine storage facilities, and booby-trapped vessel manufacturing sites along the Red Sea coast in Hodeida.

What occurred during the Houthi attack on Aden International Airport?

Concurrently, Yemen's official state news agency Saba reported that Houthi fighters launched two ballistic missiles accompanied by explosive-laden drones toward Aden International Airport, the main commercial transport hub serving government-controlled southern provinces. Local security officials in Aden confirmed that while explosions shook the airfield perimeter, air defense systems engaged incoming threats and no casualties or major infrastructure disruptions were reported.

The twin attacks reflect growing desperation from Houthi forces as Yemeni government troops advance under Operation "Dawn of Yemen"—a comprehensive nationwide military campaign ordered by Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi to reclaim Sanaa and restore constitutional authority. The military push, backed by coalition air power and newly activated collective defense support from the Makkah Alliance involving Pakistan and Turkey, has already seen pro-government troops secure strategic mountain peaks in western Taiz and push toward the Red Sea coast.

International maritime agencies have issued heightened security alerts for commercial shipping navigating near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden.