The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis said its air defences destroyed three ballistic missiles launched by the Iran-aligned group towards Riyadh and the kingdom’s Eastern province, as fighting intensifies following the collapse of a 2022 ceasefire and the launch of a government offensive last month.
Major-General Turki al-Maliki, the coalition’s spokesperson, said in a post on social media on Sunday that two missiles were headed for the capital, Riyadh, and earlier confirmed another interception of a missile launched towards the kingdom’s Eastern province.
The attacks come as Yemeni government forces, which launched the Dawn of Yemen operation last month to retake Houthi-held territory including the capital Sanaa, battle the group. According to the United Nations, more than 1,600 people have been killed and almost 300,000 displaced since the ceasefire fell apart in July after the Houthis announced a blockade of Saudi ports. In September, the Houthis seized much of Yemen’s Red Sea coast in a lightning offensive.
The Houthi-run Health Ministry spokesperson, Anees al-Asbahi, said on Saturday that 33 people, including eight women and 13 children, were killed after coalition air attacks on the village of al-Shariyah, near Sanaa. In a social media post, al-Asbahi said at least 39 others were wounded in the strikes, which he said targeted homes, roads, paramedics and civil defence teams in the Bani Hushaish district. The Saudi-led coalition did not immediately comment on the reported strikes. Al Jazeera could not independently verify the claims.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the coalition had carried out 105 air strikes and missile attacks in 24 hours across Sanaa and seven other governorates, raising the total since the escalation began to 4,369. Saree also said the Houthis conducted six operations targeting Aramco oil facilities, Riyadh airport and Saudi military positions on both sides of the border.
On Friday, 30 people were killed in an attack on a market in Taiz province. The Houthis blamed it on Saudi air strikes, while Yemeni government forces accused the Iran-aligned group of firing a ballistic missile at the site.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The escalation threatens to draw Saudi Arabia deeper into a renewed conflict that had been largely frozen since a 2022 ceasefire.
- Civilian casualties and infrastructure damage continue to mount, with more than 1,600 killed and nearly 300,000 displaced since July, according to the UN.
- The competing claims over attacks such as the Taiz market strike risk fuelling further cycles of retaliation and propaganda.
Background
Yemen has been mired in civil war since 2014, when Houthi rebels seized Sanaa. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to back the internationally recognised government. A UN-brokered ceasefire took hold in April 2022 and largely held until July 2026, when the Houthis announced a blockade of Saudi ports and the truce collapsed. In September, the rebels captured large parts of the Red Sea coast, and government forces responded with the Dawn of Yemen offensive in October.
Key Perspectives
Saudi-led coalition: says its air defences intercepted three ballistic missiles fired towards Riyadh and the Eastern province, and that it is targeting Houthi military positions in support of the Yemeni government.
Houthi leaders: say the coalition has killed 33 civilians in a strike on al-Shariyah village and wounded 39 others, and claim their own operations have struck Saudi oil facilities, Riyadh airport and military positions.
Yemeni government forces: accuse the Houthis of firing the missile that hit the Taiz market on Friday, killing 30 people, while the Houthis blame coalition airstrikes.
What to Watch
- Whether the Saudi-led coalition responds to the Houthi missile launches with further airstrikes, and whether the Houthis escalate their own cross-border operations.
- Independent verification of the competing claims about the Taiz market and al-Shariyah attacks, which could shape international reaction.
- The trajectory of the government's Dawn of Yemen offensive and whether it gains ground against Houthi-held territory.