Saudi-Led Coalition Says It Intercepted Three Houthi Ballistic Missiles as Fighting Intensifies in Yemen

RIYADH (Terror Monitor) — A Saudi-led military coalition fighting Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement said on Friday that it had intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles fired toward the southern Saudi city of Khamis Mushait, as renewed hostilities between the two sides intensified and clashes escalated around Yemen’s strategic city of Taiz.

The coalition said the three missiles were destroyed in the air before reaching their intended destination. It did not immediately provide further details about the launch locations, intended targets or whether the incident caused any casualties or damage.

The Houthis, meanwhile, claimed that Saudi Arabia had carried out 94 attacks in Yemen over the preceding 24 hours. The claim could not be independently verified, and further details about the locations and nature of the reported attacks were not immediately available.

The latest developments mark a renewed escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, whose conflict had experienced a significant reduction in large-scale hostilities following a United Nations-backed truce in 2022. Although the truce helped reduce cross-border attacks, it did not result in a comprehensive political settlement.

Fighting has also intensified around Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city and a major cultural centre with a population of approximately one million people. Clashes have spread into mountainous areas overlooking the Red Sea coast, where Houthi forces have recently gained control of some strategically important positions.

Control of these highlands is significant because they provide commanding views over surrounding territory and routes linking inland areas with the coast. The renewed fighting has raised concerns about further escalation in southwestern Yemen, where government forces and Houthi fighters continue to contest strategic territory.

Saudi Arabia has supported Yemen’s internationally recognised government in its conflict with the Houthi movement, which took control of the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. The Houthis, who control large parts of northern Yemen, have continued to pose missile and drone threats to Saudi territory.

The latest reported missile launches toward Khamis Mushait and the intensifying clashes around Taiz highlight the fragility of the relative calm established after the 2022 truce. The renewed hostilities also threaten to worsen Yemen’s humanitarian crisis and disrupt important transport and supply routes.

While the Saudi-led coalition maintains that it successfully intercepted all three ballistic missiles, the Houthis’ claim of 94 Saudi attacks remains unverified. The full extent of the latest exchanges, including any casualties or damage, was not immediately clear.