Saudi Coalition Says It Intercepted Houthi Cruise Missile Heading Toward Riyadh

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthi movement said Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, that its forces intercepted and destroyed a cruise missile launched toward the Riyadh area, as a renewed conflict in Yemen fuels attacks across Saudi Arabia and conflicting accounts of deadly violence inside Yemen.

Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki attributed the missile to the Iran-aligned Houthis in a statement posted on X.

"The Coalition Intercepted and destroyed a cruise missile launched by the Houthi terrorist militia toward the Riyadh area," al-Malki wrote.

The statement did not specify where the missile was intercepted, its intended target within the wider Riyadh area or whether it caused any damage. The coalition did not provide information about possible casualties.

Saturday's announcement followed a series of aerial interceptions reported by the coalition in different parts of the kingdom over the previous two days.

Interceptions Near Mecca and Medina

On Friday, Nov. 6, al-Malki reported that a drone had been intercepted and destroyed in the Mecca region. He did not identify its origin or accuse a specific group of launching it. The announcement referred to the administrative region, rather than establishing that the drone had approached the holy city itself.

On Thursday, the coalition said it had destroyed a ballistic missile allegedly fired by the Houthis toward the Medina region. The announcement came shortly after Saudi civil defense authorities issued a warning about a possible threat in the Yanbu area, although no connection between the two events was established.

The Houthis denied targeting Medina, describing accusations against them as false and saying their operations were directed at Saudi oil installations and military bases rather than the holy cities.

The coalition also reported shooting down a drone in the Eastern Province on Thursday, an area central to Saudi oil production.

The incidents reflect the range of threats Saudi authorities say their air defenses have faced, although they did not attribute every interception to the same party.

Competing Accounts of Deadly Market Attack

The latest developments come amid sharply conflicting claims about an attack on a market in Yemen's Taiz province on Friday.

Houthi authorities said Saudi aircraft struck a market in Al-Waziya, killing 30 people and injuring eight.

Anis al-Asbahi, a spokesperson for the Houthi-run health ministry, alleged that several airstrikes hit the market. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree further alleged that the attacking aircraft had departed from Saudi Arabia's Khamis Mushait base, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Yemen's internationally recognized government forces gave an opposing account, accusing the Houthis of launching a ballistic missile at the market. Local authorities in Taiz also blamed indiscriminate Houthi missile fire and denied that any air raids had taken place.

Neither explanation was independently established in the accounts provided. The casualty figures came from the Houthi-run health ministry, and responsibility for the deaths remained disputed.

The accusations illustrate how the fighting has produced competing narratives over attacks on civilian areas.

Renewed warfare between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces began in July, after years of relative calm, with intense fighting reported in Taiz since a major Houthi offensive in September.

Shipping and Regional Security

The conflict has also extended to maritime traffic. AFP reported Friday that, according to The Wall Street Journal, some vessels traversing the Red Sea have sought assurances from the Houthis by email before making their passage.

The Journal reported that the group, which has declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, had answered some requests and issued time-limited permission to transit.

The correspondence suggests an informal system through which operators seek to reduce the risk of attack; permission does not necessarily guarantee safe passage.

Saudi Arabia has also sought closer defense cooperation with regional partners.

On Thursday, Türkiye's parliament ratified a defense agreement signed with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in August, committing the three countries to cooperate in responding to threats.

Turkish officials described the agreement as defensive and said a separate parliamentary decision would be required for any troop deployment.

There was no indication that the agreement was invoked following Saturday's missile interception.

For now, the Saudi coalition has announced the destruction of a cruise missile heading toward the Riyadh area, but it has not provided additional operational details.

The disputed Taiz casualties and recent air-defense alerts underscore how military activity continues on both sides of the Saudi-Yemeni border.