(Photo courtesy of Anadolu)
RIYADH – The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthi group announced Thursday that its air defense systems had intercepted and destroyed 11 drones and a ballistic missile targeting several areas of Saudi Arabia.
Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said the drones were intercepted over Riyadh, Medina, the Eastern Province, and the country’s southern region.
A ballistic missile was also intercepted while heading toward Najran in southwestern Saudi Arabia, according to statements posted on social media platform X.
In its latest announcement Thursday, the coalition reported shooting down two drones targeting the southern region.
Earlier, it confirmed intercepting four drones over Riyadh and Medina, another over Riyadh, and four more over the Eastern Province.
Authorities did not specify where the drones originated or whether the interceptions resulted in casualties or property damage.
The incidents followed attacks Wednesday that killed four people in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.
Two people died after debris fell following the interception of a drone targeting an Aramco oil facility, while two others were killed in a separate attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.
The coalition also reported destroying seven drones Wednesday, including six intercepted over Medina and the Eastern Province and another heading toward the southern region.
The latest incidents come amid heightened tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis since July, alongside renewed clashes between the rebel group and Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition supporting Yemen’s government since March 2015.
The Houthis have controlled Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and other areas of the country since September 2014.
