The Iran-backed Houthi rebels tried to attack Saudi Arabia’s capital with a ballistic missile over the weekend, the first strike targeting Riyadh since the new conflict began, officials said. 

Residents in Riyadh — population 7 million — witnessed an explosion and plume of smoke near the King Khalid International Airport on Saturday, with the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen confirming that their defense system intercepted the missile. 

The Houthis had claimed that they were targeting “sensitive sites” in Riyadh and facilities linked to Saudi oil giant Aramco, sparking “massive fires.” 

A large plume of black smoke rises from the fuel storage depot at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sept. 19, 2026. REUTERS

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage caused by the downed missile. 

The rebels also took aim at civilian infrastructure in the Red Sea port of Yabu, where a key Saudi pipeline is located, according to the anti-Houthi coalition.

Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed the attacks on Saudi Arabia were launched with cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as drones. 

Saree said, without providing evidence, that the strikes were in retaliation to a Saudi attack on Yemen’s rebel-held capital of Sanna. 

The attacks were the latest escalation in the Houthi-Saudi conflict that broke out as part of the greater Iran war.

The Houthis earlier claimed, without providing evidence, that they had targeted “sensitive sites” in Riyadh and facilities of Saudi oil giant Aramco. REUTERS

A person watches a TV broadcast on the latest developments in the Saudi-Houthi conflict in Sana’a, Yemen, on Sept. 19, 2026. YAHYA ARHAB/EPA/Shutterstock

The fighting claimed its first civilian casualty when Saudi Arabia downed a Houthi drone on Thursday, with the debris falling on a Yemeni resident living in the kingdom. 

The attacks have also threatened the city of Mecca, the holiest site in Islam, with Saudi Arabia claiming that a Houthi drone came close to the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad. 

Saudi Arabia, which has been focused on the Iran war, is running low on missile interceptors and has since asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt for air support, regional officials told the Associated Press.

Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed they attacked with cruise and ballistic missiles as well as drones. REUTERS

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea delivers a televised statement in Sana’a, Yemen, as tensions escalated between the terrorist group and Saudi Arabia on Sept. 11, 2026. YAHYA ARHAB/EPA/Shutterstock

The US, a close Saudi ally, has reportedly declined to help fight the Houthis after a cease-fire was reached last year. 

The Houthis currently control key ports and islands in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait following a lightning offensive last week, threatening the global oil supply. 

Experts have warned that the narrowness of the strait and Houthi positions allow the terror group to attack oil tankers with relative ease. 

With Post Wires