Yemen's Houthis on Tuesday claimed to have attacked Saudi Arabia's defence ministry in Riyadh, news agency AFP reported. However, there was no confirmation from Saudi Arabia.
"Our armed forces targeted the Ministry of Defence in the enemy Saudi capital, Riyadh, with a ballistic missile and the hit was direct," AFP quoted Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree as saying. The news agency further reported that its correspondents had heard explosions in Riyadh earlier in the day.
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The Houthi military spokesman also claimed that the group "targeted two military transport aircraft with ballistic missiles, one at Najran airport and the other at (King) Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait".
Saudi authorities said they intercepted two ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-backed rebels in Yemen. They said air defences destroyed another three Houthi ballistic missiles fired toward the country's eastern region in latest attacks by the Yemeni rebels.
The Houthis said on social media that they had hit the Ras Tanoura refinery in that region with a ballistic missile. The claim could not be verified, and Saudi Arabia did not immediately comment.
{{/usCountry}}The Houthis said on social media that they had hit the Ras Tanoura refinery in that region with a ballistic missile. The claim could not be verified, and Saudi Arabia did not immediately comment.
{{/usCountry}}At least four explosions were heard over Riyadh on Tuesday, news agency AP reported, citing witnesses. It was not immediately clear whether they came from missiles and drones striking their targets or from air defences destroying them in flight. The blasts followed attack warnings that Saudi Arabia issued for the capital and for Abha, Najran and Khamis Mushait. The alerts were later lifted, and there were no immediate reports of damage.
Brig. Gen. Turki al-Malki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, said in a post on X overnight that coalition forces had intercepted four Houthi drones aimed at the kingdom’s south and three ballistic missiles targeting its eastern region. He gave no further details or evidence, and the AP could not verify the claim.
Last week, the Houthis claimed attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu and on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, where Saudi authorities said two people were killed. Saudi Arabia did not immediately confirm the Houthis’ claims of strikes in Riyadh and Yanbu.