Missile debris lands in Saudi holy cities

Saudi Arabia confirmed that two ballistic missiles were launched toward Mecca and Medina on Saturday. The civil defence agency stated that the projectiles were intercepted, leaving shrapnel scattered across the region. Images from the Saudi Press Agency showed a large, blackened missile fragment resting on the ground within the kingdom.

The strikes mark a sharp escalation in the conflict. In Aden, the seat of Yemen's internationally recognized government, two more ballistic missiles hit the international airport. The Transport Ministry called this the fourth such incident in the current month. Authorities also reported damage to the coastguard headquarters and another building. Houthi forces claimed responsibility for hitting the al-Nasr camp and a naval military base in the city.

The current phase of fighting began after a fragile ceasefire agreed in 2022 collapsed in July. Since then, Houthi forces have used long-range strikes to pressure Saudi energy infrastructure and airports. On Friday, a Houthi missile malfunctioned and crashed into a family home in Sanaa, killing three people. The Yemeni army said this was one of several malfunctions observed from the Iran-backed group in recent weeks.

Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported on Saturday that Saudi coalition airstrikes killed several civilians in Sanaa and Hodeidah. Riyadh has not yet issued a formal comment on the alleged raids. The Houthi group disputed the official narrative of their targets. They described the claim that they aimed at the two holiest cities in Islam as a huge lie. Instead, they said their intended targets were three Saudi airports, oil infrastructure, and an airbase.

Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, described the attacks as heinous. In a statement shared on Saturday, he said the strikes showed a blatant disregard for the lives and security of civilians. The Yemeni government’s Transport Ministry warned that the attacks on Aden threaten the safety of civil aviation. Officials noted the humanitarian and economic consequences for citizens who rely on the airport for travel.

Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili, a Yemeni army spokesman, said government forces conducted more than 700 targeting operations over the previous 24 hours. He claimed these operations neutralized 300 Houthi fighters and disabled military vehicles. The spokesman added that the operations focused on field command centres, weapons depots, and supply lines in Taiz, where intense clashes have persisted for days.