Saudi forces said they intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile targeting Riyadh Tuesday, following a danger warning and reports of explosions in the capital.
Turki al-Malki, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led military coalition backing Yemen's government, confirmed the kingdom intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthi militia targeting Riyadh.
Two blasts shook Riyadh, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists in the capital.
"A warning has been issued by the National Early Warning Platform in Riyadh to alert for a potential danger," the Saudi civil defense said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. But minutes later, the civil defense lifted the alert, saying "the danger has passed."
Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have escalated, forcing the postponement of a major investment conference and undermining Riyadh's hopes of attracting greater foreign capital and diversifying its economy. The deadly attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis have forced Riyadh's airport to close.
The Saudi air force regularly targets the Houthis in retaliation amid fighting in Yemen between the Houthis and the Riyadh-backed government. In July, a fragile 2022 truce collapsed after the Houthis allowed an Iranian plane to land in Sanaa, Yemen's capital, in defiance of Riyadh's control over Yemeni airspace, triggering a spate of attacks.
Later, the Houthis declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began striking its ships, territory and oil facilities, before uprooting Yemeni government forces from Red Sea coastline positions in a swift campaign in September.
Earlier Monday, the Yemeni army said clashes and airstrikes killed 129 Houthi fighters and wounded 176 others over the past two days in the southwestern province of Taiz.
In a statement, the army's Taiz Military Axis Command said government forces continued their offensive against Houthi positions in the al-Misrakh district, south of Taiz city, for a second consecutive day.
Local fighters and residents supported the operation, which inflicted heavy losses on the Houthis, the command added.
It said army units also raided a Houthi position in the al-Aqrud front, killing and wounding several fighters. It added warplanes conducted 13 airstrikes Monday night, targeting Houthi positions, weapons, military equipment, ammunition depots and gatherings across Taiz province.
There was no immediate comment from the Houthis on the army's claims.
Taiz holds strategic importance because it connects Yemen's northern and southern provinces and serves as a vital transportation and supply corridor between the interim capital Aden and the country's central and northern regions. The province also includes the Red Sea port of Mokha, near the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb strait.
Since fighting intensified in July, government forces and their allies have announced advances on several fronts, including regaining control of the Bab el-Mandeb strait and areas of the Dhubab district.
Meanwhile, the Houthis have tightened their siege of Taiz city from surrounding northern, western and eastern highlands following advances in parts of the province's countryside.
Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized Sanaa, the capital, and several other provinces in September 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.
The Houthis control much of northern and western Yemen, while government forces and their allies hold Aden and large parts of the country's southern and eastern provinces.
