Saudi Arabia says six ballistic missiles intercepted as alerts span Mecca, Red Sea hubs

New Delhi: The Saudi led coalition said on Thursday that air defences intercepted and destroyed six ballistic missiles it said were aimed at Taif and the Red Sea port of Yanbu, hours after civil defence warnings were issued across several parts of the kingdom. The coalition spokesman, major general Turki al-Malki, blamed Yemen’s Houthis for the launches, but the group made no immediate claim of responsibility and the Saudi account could not immediately be independently verified; no confirmed casualty or damage assessment was available.

Earlier, Saudi civil defence authorities had issued brief alerts warning of potential danger in Mecca, Jeddah, Yanbu and Tabuk. Residents were advised to follow official safety instructions, with Taif also covered by warnings, before authorities later said the danger had passed. The alerts did not establish that projectiles were heading towards every location placed under warning.
The warnings covered a wide geographic arc. Mecca is Islam’s holiest city, Jeddah a major Red Sea commercial hub, Yanbu an important energy centre and Tabuk a northwestern region near Jordan.

Al-Malki warned that further escalation would be dealt with firmly, while the coalition maintained that the intercepted missiles were aimed at Taif and Yanbu.

Yanbu is particularly important to Saudi energy logistics because the East-West Pipeline terminates on the Red Sea coast, providing an alternative export route when flows through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted. Reuters reported this week that the pipeline had restarted after a September 11 drone attack, which Saudi Arabia blamed on Iraqi militia groups, forced its shutdown. The line was initially operating at a reduced rate, with Riyadh seeking to restore flows of about four million barrels a day towards Yanbu.

The latest episode comes amid renewed fighting in Yemen after several years of relative calm following the 2022 truce. Houthi forces have advanced along Yemen’s western coast towards the Bab al-Mandab Strait, while the internationally recognized, Saudi backed Yemeni government has launched a counteroffensive. The UN said on September 15 that commercial shipping through the Red Sea appeared largely unaffected at that stage, although the advance had increased concern over the corridor.

Saudi Arabia has also faced attacks farther from its border with Yemen. On September 19, the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh, while the Houthis claimed attacks on targets in the capital and Yanbu; some of those claims could not be independently verified.

The humanitarian impact inside Yemen has continued to grow. The UN said at least 125,000 people had been displaced since the start of September, while thousands more have crossed by sea to Djibouti