Saudi Arabia: two Houthi ballistic missiles toward Khamis Mushait and three drones over Riyadh and the Eastern Province in one night

The coalition “For the Restoration of Legitimacy in Yemen” announced another night of attacks from Yemen against Saudi Arabia. Shortly after 1 a.m. on Sunday, October 18, Saudi time, coalition spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Malki said that two ballistic missiles launched by “the Houthi terrorist militia” toward Khamis Mushait, in the Asir region of south-western Saudi Arabia, had been intercepted and destroyed. The city is home to King Khalid Air Base, one of the most important bases of the Royal Saudi Air Force.

A little later the coalition announced the interception of a drone in the Riyadh area, and at 4 a.m. two more over the Eastern Province and the Riyadh region. In total, two ballistic missiles and three drones within one night. The announcements mention no casualties or damage and do not say where the drones were launched from. Residents of Riyadh and Khamis Mushait received Civil Defence alerts on their phones about a “hostile air threat”.

What the Houthis said

The Houthis had not claimed responsibility for the missiles by the morning. Their military spokesman, Yahya Saree, had announced on Saturday afternoon that within 24 hours Saudi aircraft had carried out 53 air raids on Sanaa, Taiz, Ibb, Lahij, Saada and Amran, with F-15s and Typhoons “taking off from the bases of Khamis Mushait and Taif”. According to the Houthis, the raids have reached 2,542 since the start of the escalation. The same evening they also claimed the shooting down of a reconnaissance drone over Hajjah.

The coalition, for its part, had announced on Saturday that it intercepted four drones over Riyadh, the Eastern Province and the south of the country, and that it destroyed two ballistic-missile launchers in Saada governorate in Yemen, the Houthi stronghold. These are the claims of the two sides and they are not independently confirmed.

A war that flared up in July

The war in Yemen flared up again in July, after years of relative calm, and Saudi Arabia is on heightened alert. Khamis Mushait has been targeted repeatedly in the current round, with the coalition reporting missiles toward the city on October 2 and 13. The deadliest attack so far was the Houthi missile at Riyadh’s King Khalid airport on October 10. Riyadh accuses Iran of encouraging the attacks, which Tehran rejects. The same night, a National Guard AH-6i helicopter crashed in Najran, killing two officers.