Riyadh:The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen announced that it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthi group targeting the Saudi capital, Riyadh. This incident occurred shortly after warning alerts were issued in the city and the nearby Al-Kharj governorate.

According to Anadolu Agency, Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki stated on the US social media platform X that the missile had been fired toward Riyadh by the Houthis. Following the alerts, the Saudi Civil Defense confirmed that the danger in both locations had passed.

Witnesses in Riyadh reported hearing the sounds of four explosions after the warning. The Saudi capital has been subject to a series of missile and drone attacks amid the escalating conflict with the Houthi group in Yemen.

Earlier on Wednesday, Saudi authorities reported that four people were injured, and 15 houses suffered minor damage due to debris from two intercepted cruise missiles that fell in Riyadh on Tuesday. Additionally, the coalition intercepted and destroyed a cruise missile in Al-Kharj, and a separate attack on an administrative building of state oil company Aramco in Dhahran caused a small fire.

The Houthis had previously threatened to target Aramco's headquarters in Dammam, Riyadh's main airport, and the company's refinery in the capital in retaliation for any Saudi-led coalition attacks on their positions in Yemen's capital, Sanaa. Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition supporting Yemen's internationally recognized government since 2015 against the Houthis, who have controlled Sanaa and several other provinces since 2014. The recent escalation began in July following the collapse of a 2022 truce.