Nov 10 (Reuters) – The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said on Tuesday it intercepted two missiles launched by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis towards Riyadh, a ballistic missile fired towards the kingdom’s southern region and a drone over its oil-rich Eastern Province, in a night of heightened military activity across Saudi Arabia.
The latest launches come amid an escalation in hostilities between the Houthis and the coalition backing Yemen’s internationally recognised government after the group advanced in September towards the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic shipping chokepoint at the southern entrance to the Red Sea.
The Houthis have since stepped up strikes on Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities, while Saudi Arabia has carried out airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.
The coalition said its air defences had destroyed a ballistic missile and a cruise missile fired towards the Saudi capital. Saudi Civil Defence had earlier issued an early-warning alert for Riyadh before later saying the threat had passed.
In a separate statement, the coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched towards southern Saudi Arabia, which borders Yemen. Saudi Civil Defence had previously issued warning alerts for the southwestern cities of Abha and Khamis Mushait, before later saying the danger had passed.
The Houthi-run Saba news agency reported that Saudi Arabia carried out airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, hitting the al-Mufazir gas station in the Jadar district north of the capital and a building belonging to the state oil company in southern Sanaa.
Saba later said civil defence teams were working to extinguish a fire in gas trailers at the al-Mufazir station. Saudi authorities did not immediately confirm the reported strikes, while the Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the missile and drone launches against Saudi Arabia.
The coalition later said it had intercepted and destroyed a drone over Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich Eastern Province.
The Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia’s economic powerhouse, has been subject to multiple attacks by Houthis in the past few weeks. It contains the majority of the kingdom’s oil and gas reserves and is home to oil giant Saudi Aramco’s headquarters, which suffered extensive damage in an attack in October.
Southern Saudi Arabia, which borders Yemen, has also repeatedly been hit by Houthi missile and drone attacks targeting military sites and energy infrastructure.
(Reporting by Enas Alashray in Cairo; Editing by Christopher Cushing, Stephen Coates and Lincoln Feast.)
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