INTERNATIONAL DESK — Smoke rises following an airstrike at Sanaa International Airport. The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said on Tuesday it intercepted two missiles launched by Yemen's Houthis towards Riyadh, a ballistic missile fired towards the kingdom's southern region and a drone over its oil-rich Eastern Province, in a night of heightened military activity across Saudi Arabia.
The latest launches come amid an escalation in hostilities between the Houthis and the coalition backing Yemen's internationally recognised government after the group advanced in September towards the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic shipping chokepoint at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. The Houthis have since stepped up strikes on Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities, while Saudi Arabia has carried out airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. The coalition said its air defences had destroyed a ballistic missile and a cruise missile fired towards the Saudi capital.
Saudi Civil Defence had earlier issued an early-warning alert for Riyadh before later saying the threat had passed. In a separate statement, the coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched towards southern Saudi Arabia, which borders Yemen. Saudi Civil Defence had previously issued warning alerts for the southwestern cities of Abha and Khamis Mushait, before later saying the danger had passed.