Saudi-led coalition intercepts missiles and drones over Riyadh and Red Sea

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said on Friday that it intercepted missiles and drones over Riyadh and other areas. The kingdom is under sustained attack from its Iran-backed foes, who have repeatedly struck Saudi targets since Yemen's civil war flared in July.

Was Riyadh hit by a missile?

The coalition says it intercepted and destroyed three drones over the southern area and Riyadh, plus two cruise missiles over the Red Sea. Riyadh's international airport has been hit before: 13 people were killed there in a single attack last week.

Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki wrote on X: "We intercepted and destroyed three drones in the southern area and Riyadh... and two cruise missiles over the Red Sea." He added that "in the past hours, we intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile over Yanbu," a city home to the terminus of a major oil pipeline on the Red Sea coast.

Who is the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen?

Saudi Arabia leads a military coalition that has supported Yemen's internationally recognized government against the Houthis for more than a decade. Since the civil war flared back to life in July, the Houthis have repeatedly struck Saudi targets, including Red Sea tankers, oil facilities and Riyadh's international airport.

The attacks have proliferated since the group launched a lightning offensive in Yemen in September. The Houthis seized strategic government-held territory along the Red Sea coast overlooking a major chokepoint for global shipping.

How has the UN responded to the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia?

The UN Security Council on Thursday "condemned in the strongest terms continued and escalatory Houthi attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." It also condemned their attacks and threats against commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, the southern gateway to the Suez Canal.

The council denounced the group's "reckless strikes" on Riyadh's airport, which the Saudi-led coalition said had been targeted at least 20 times so far this month.

Why is Saudi Arabia under pressure from Iran-backed forces?

A Saudi foreign ministry official accused Iran on Thursday of continuing "to arm, train and support the Houthi militia in violation of UN security council resolutions." Dr. Rayed Krimly, deputy minister for public diplomacy, said: "We think that the escalation by the Houthis at this latest stage of the conflict is encouraged by Iran."

The pressure on Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, comes as global energy markets were already rattled. Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz at the outset of the wider Middle East war in February.

What happened in the Houthi attack on Aden's presidential palace?

On Thursday, the Houthis launched a deadly missile attack on the presidential palace in Aden, the interim seat of the Yemeni government. Five people were killed and 16 wounded, according to the health minister.

Yemeni Prime Minister Shaya al-Zindani denounced the "cowardly" act on X, calling it a "continuation of (the Houthis') criminal pattern." A government minister said on condition of anonymity that Zindani was present but "was not harmed in any way."

The minister said the Houthis hit a command center for Yemeni government forces at the complex with three missiles, and another for Saudi coalition forces with two missiles. Houthi-affiliated media said they targeted "the headquarters of military operations, led by Saudi officers, at the Al-Maashiq Palace in Aden, as well as weapons depots belonging to them."

Can Yemen's government retake territory from the Houthis?

Yemeni government forces have launched a counteroffensive with Saudi air support to retake areas seized by the Houthis. They have so far failed to reverse the group's gains.