(Photo courtesy of Anadolu)
ISTANBUL – Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense declared the all-clear in Taif, Yanbu and Khamis Mushait on Wednesday after emergency warnings were issued over an unspecified security threat, as Saudi-led coalition forces reported intercepting ballistic missiles launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The National Early Warning Platform for Emergencies issued alerts in Taif and Yanbu in western Saudi Arabia and Khamis Mushait in the south, advising residents to observe safety precautions.
Civil Defense later announced that the danger had passed in all three areas but urged the public to remain vigilant, avoid gatherings and refrain from filming. Authorities did not disclose the specific threat behind the alerts.
Separately, the Saudi-led coalition said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis toward western Saudi Arabia.
A Yemeni government source also reported that two ballistic missiles struck the coalition’s headquarters in the Al-Buraiqa district, west of Aden, Yemen’s interim capital, on Wednesday evening.
The source, who requested anonymity, said both missiles landed inside the military base. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Earlier, the coalition announced that its air defenses had intercepted three cruise missiles targeting Riyadh and two drones headed toward Mecca and southern Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis denied targeting Mecca’s airspace, claiming instead that they had launched a drone attack on a pumping station in Yanbu and fired three missiles toward Riyadh’s main airport.
The attacks mark another escalation in hostilities between the Iran-aligned Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition, which backs Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
