Saudi-led coalition says it destroyed Houthi ballistic missiles fired towards Yanbu, Taif

A Saudi-led ​coalition fighting Yemen’s ‌Houthis said it destroyed two ballistic missiles fired ​by the ​group towards Taif and Yanbu on Saturday, as fighting between the sides continued.

Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence on Saturday briefly issued alerts warning of potential danger in Taif and Yanbu, as well as the holy city of Makkah and its second-largest city Jeddah.

The service issued notices around 10 minutes later saying the danger had passed.

Two children killed, three civilians wounded in Houthi attacks in Taiz

Two children were killed, three civilians wounded and four people abducted in Houthi attacks in Yemen’s southwestern Taiz province over 24 hours, a rights group said.

In a statement, the Yemen Network for Rights and Freedoms said it had “documented 21 crimes and violations by the Houthis over the past 24 hours in Taiz governorate,” including the firing of around 213 projectiles at residential areas.

“Three civilians, including two women, sustained various injuries, while four other residents were abducted and taken to unknown locations,” the group said.

The network also accused the Houthis of continuing their siege and restrictions on civilian movement and the delivery of essential supplies. It said the Houthis raided and looted three homes in the al-Hujariya area south of Taiz and damaged seven others, including two that were completely destroyed.

The rights group called on the international community to “take action to protect Taiz residents from repeated shelling and the siege,” warning that residents and health facilities were becoming less able to cope with the crisis.

Read: Houthis claim ballistic missile strike on Riyadh airport

The Houthis did not immediately comment on the allegations.

A day earlier, the Saudi-led coalition said that its air defences had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired by the Houthi group toward the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said in a statement on the US social media platform X that a ballistic missile had been intercepted and destroyed, without providing details on its origin or intended target.

The coalition, formally known as the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, has been fighting the Houthi group in Yemen.

Read More: Death toll from Houthi attack on Yemen training camp rises to 7

The developments come amid a military escalation that began in July, described as the most extensive since the relative calm following a truce launched in April 2022.

Since October 5, Yemeni government forces have been conducting Operation Dawn of Yemen, which Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi said aims to regain control of state institutions from the Houthis and recapture the capital, Sanaa.

Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized Sanaa and several other provinces in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognised 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.