Saudi air defenses shoot down two missiles targeting Riyadh

Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired from Yemen toward Riyadh on Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition said, with no casualties or damage reported.

Why it matters: The attempt is the latest in weeks of Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, energy infrastructure and cities, keeping the Yemen war's spillover risk live for Gulf energy and Red Sea shipping.

Data as of Arab News, October 29, 2026, read in full in this run. Single Saudi source: the interception and strike figures are Saudi coalition and Yemeni government claims, with no independent corroboration and no Houthi response reported, so this item ships at grade C. Developing item.

Saudi air defenses shot down two ballistic missiles fired by the Houthi militia in Yemen toward Riyadh on Thursday, and the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen said the missiles were “intercepted and destroyed,” Arab News reported. Civil defense had issued danger warnings for Riyadh, Najran and Al-Kharj before announcing the danger had passed about 20 minutes later, and the report carried no casualties or damage from Thursday’s missiles, two days after debris from two intercepted missiles damaged a building, a construction project and a vehicle in Riyadh. Separately, a Yemeni government military spokesman said government forces had launched 982 strikes against Houthi targets in 24 hours across Taiz, Al-Jawf, Marib and Al-Bayda, a figure no independent source has corroborated.

Saudi air defenses shoot down two missiles targeting Riyadh

Sources