On a Tuesday evening that began with shelter alerts and ended with an all-clear, the Saudi capital was once again reminded that the quarrel inside Yemen has long since spilled across its borders. The Saudi-led coalition says it stopped two missiles bound for Riyadh and a third for the south, and it names the Iran-backed Houthis as the source, though the Houthis themselves have said nothing yet. The attacks follow a strike the day before on the East-West pipeline, a artery that now carries outsized weight because the Strait of Hormuz is constrained by the wider war against Iran. Seen from a dis
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Missiles Aimed at Riyadh as Houthi Attacks on Pipeline Escalate
A vital route for Saudi oil exports, attacked again
Mark
Three missiles in one day, and two of them headed for Riyadh. What actually happened?
Mimi
The coalition says a ballistic missile and a cruise missile were destroyed over the capital, and another ballistic missile over the south. Residents got shelter alerts, and AFP reported explosions. Then civil defence said the danger had passed.
Luke
Worth noting that the interception details come from the coalition spokesperson, Turki al-Maliki. The Houthis hadn't commented when this was reported.
Mark
Why does the pipeline matter so much?
Mimi
With Tehran restricting the Strait of Hormuz, the East-West pipeline has become a vital export route for Saudi oil. It was hit again Monday in the Medina region.
Luke
And the damage there is the Energy Ministry's account: a limited fire, put out, operations unaffected. No independent assessment is in the reporting.
Mark
What about the Aramco Tower?
Mimi
The Houthis said they attacked Riyadh's business district on Sunday. Saudi officials said debris from an attempted attack caused minor damage, and SPA images showed damage on several floors.
Luke
So there's a gap: the Houthi claim is of an attack, the Saudi version is debris from an attempted one. We don't know more than that.
Mark
Is there anything we can say about what comes next?
Mimi
Only that the pattern of strikes on Saudi energy sites has repeated, and the fighting in Yemen is ongoing.
Luke
Right, and anything beyond that would be a guess.
Il Polso
- Shelter alerts flashed across Riyadh phones on Tuesday, and multiple explosions rattled the capital before the civil defence agency declared the danger over.
- The coalition says it downed a ballistic missile and a cruise missile over Riyadh and another ballistic missile over the south, pinning all of it on the Houthis.
- The East-West pipeline in the Medina region was hit a day earlier, sparking a limited fire that was put out, with Saudi officials insisting exports kept flowing.
- With Hormuz constrained, that pipeline is a lifeline for Saudi oil, making every strike on it a pressure point in a global energy squeeze.
- Riyadh's business district was targeted over the weekend, with falling debris damaging the Aramco Tower, so the pattern of attacks is building rather than fading.
- Fighting inside Yemen shows no sign of easing, and the Houthis have yet to respond, leaving the next move unclear.
On a Tuesday evening that began with shelter alerts and ended with an all-clear, the Saudi capital was once again reminded that the quarrel inside Yemen has long since spilled across its borders. The Saudi-led coalition says it stopped two missiles bound for Riyadh and a third for the south, and it names the Iran-backed Houthis as the source, though the Houthis themselves have said nothing yet. The attacks follow a strike the day before on the East-West pipeline, a artery that now carries outsized weight because the Strait of Hormuz is constrained by the wider war against Iran. Seen from a distance, this is one more turn in a conflict where the lines between a local civil war and a regional energy crisis have blurred almost beyond recognition.
Residents of Riyadh woke to text alerts on Tuesday warning them to take shelter from an aerial threat. Reporters heard multiple explosions across the capital, and a later message from the civil defence agency said the danger had passed.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said it had intercepted two missiles aimed at Riyadh and a third at the southern region. Spokesperson Major-General Turki al-Maliki placed the blame on the Iran-backed group, describing a ballistic and a cruise missile destroyed over the capital and a second ballistic missile downed in the south. The Houthis had not commented.
These strikes arrive amid a long run of attacks on Saudi soil, while fighting rages in Yemen between the Houthis and the government Riyadh supports. The Houthis have repeatedly struck Saudi oil facilities with drones and missiles.
The day before, the East-West pipeline in the Medina region was hit again. Saudi officials said the blaze was limited and quickly extinguished, and that operations were not disrupted. No one was hurt. That pipeline has become essential to Saudi exports since Tehran's restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz, following the US-Israel war against Iran, and it has been struck several times.
Over the weekend, Riyadh's business district was also targeted. Officials called it an attempted attack, with debris causing minor damage to the Aramco Tower, where inspectors were seen examining several damaged floors.
The open question is whether the Houthis will keep pressing on Saudi energy infrastructure and the capital, as the war in Yemen and the energy strains linked to the Iran conflict continue without relief.
Residents of Riyadh received text alerts on Tuesday telling them to take shelter from an "aerial threat," and the AFP news agency reported multiple explosions heard across the Saudi capital. A later message from the civil defence agency said the danger had passed.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said it had intercepted two missiles fired toward Riyadh and a third aimed at the kingdom's southern region. Coalition spokesperson Major-General Turki al-Maliki laid the attacks at the door of the Iran-backed Houthis. In a series of posts on X, he said a ballistic missile and a cruise missile were destroyed over Riyadh, while a second ballistic missile was brought down over the south. There was no immediate comment from the Houthis.
The strikes came as the latest in a run of attacks on Saudi Arabia while fighting rages inside Yemen between the Houthis and the country's internationally recognised government, which Riyadh backs. The coalition has supported a Yemeni government offensive to retake territory with air strikes. The Houthis, for their part, have repeatedly hit Saudi oil infrastructure, including refineries and storage facilities, with drones and missiles.
The day before, on Monday, the East-West oil pipeline in the Medina region was attacked again. A Saudi Energy Ministry official told the state-run SPA news agency that the strike caused a "limited fire," which was extinguished, and that pipeline operations were unaffected. No injuries or deaths were reported.
The pipeline carries particular weight right now. It has become a vital route for Saudi oil exports because of Tehran's restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz following the US-Israel war against Iran. It has been attacked several times, as the war on Iran feeds a global energy crisis.
Riyadh's business district was also targeted over the weekend. On Sunday, the Houthis said they had attacked it. Saudi officials described an "attempted attack" and said falling debris caused minor damage to the Aramco Tower. Images released by SPA showed the deputy governor of the Riyadh region and other officials inspecting the building, with damage visible on several floors.
What to watch is whether the Houthis keep going after Saudi energy infrastructure and the capital itself, as fighting in Yemen continues and the energy pressures tied to the Iran war show no sign of easing.
Citazioni salienti
Pipeline operations were unaffected after the strike caused a limited fire that was extinguished.— Saudi Energy Ministry official, via SPA
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