Saudi-led coalition says it downed Houthi missiles and drones as Yemen fighting spreads and displacement tops 340,000

Early on Sunday, the spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, Turki al-Maliki, posted on X that air defences had intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired toward Riyadh. He blamed what he called the Houthi terrorist militia. By the coalition's account, three more drones were shot down over Saudi Arabia's Eastern region the same day. In all, the coalition says it stopped two missiles and five drones aimed at different parts of the country.

The day before, al-Maliki had reported two suspected Houthi drones intercepted and destroyed over the Riyadh and southern regions. The Houthis, an Iran-backed group also known as Ansar Allah, are accused of launching all of these. The group has repeatedly gone after Riyadh's King Khalid international airport, the East-West pipeline, and oil infrastructure in eastern and southern Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis tell a different story of the air war over Yemen. Their military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said on X that the group had shot down an armed Saudi coalition reconnaissance aircraft carrying out hostile operations in the airspace of al-Jawf. He said Houthi forces repelled a number of Saudi military formations using several Yemeni-made surface-to-air missiles, and that this was the fifth aircraft downed since the escalation began.

Saudi authorities say at least 26 people have been killed in suspected Houthi drone and missile attacks inside the kingdom since September 23.

On the ground, fighting has intensified in Marib and al-Jawf. Saudi-led forces supporting Yemen's internationally recognised government said they intercepted several drones launched toward the city of Marib. Yemeni army spokesman Colonel Majid al-Nuzaili said government forces had made gains in heavy fighting in the al-Hazm and Madghal districts of al-Jawf. He said 321 Houthi leaders had been killed or wounded in 723 targeted operations by Saudi-backed forces across the Taiz, Lahij, Marib and al-Jawf governorates, and that 117 Houthi military vehicles had been destroyed. The coalition carried out at least 37 air strikes, 56 drone attacks and 541 artillery strikes.

Saree offered his own tally, saying the coalition launched 72 air strikes against the Houthis in the Saada, Taiz, Lahij and al-Jawf governorates over the past 24 hours. He added that the Houthis hit Saudi-backed forces in the Kharaz area of Lahij with ballistic missiles. Media outlets affiliated with the Houthis reported that two women and two children were injured by artillery shelling from Saudi-backed forces in a residential neighbourhood of the Shuaub district in Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital.

The wider toll is large. The International Organization for Migration says more than 340,000 people have been displaced by fighting in Yemen since August.

On Saturday, the US Embassy in Riyadh issued a nationwide security alert urging Americans in the kingdom to exercise heightened vigilance, citing an increased threat of Houthi attacks. It said attacks on airports and other critical infrastructure had caused civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions, and warned that hostilities could spread rapidly. It advised extreme caution for anyone choosing to use Saudi airports.

The casualty figures and battlefield claims from both the coalition and the Houthis remain unverified, so the numbers above are each side's account. What to watch is whether attacks on Saudi airports and energy sites continue, and whether the displacement count keeps climbing.