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The Arab coalition supporting legitimacy in Yemen said a drone launched by the Houthi militia was intercepted and destroyed in the Makkah region. Official Spokesman of the Coalition Forces Staff Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki announced the development in a statement posted on his official X account. The coalition described the drone as a hostile act by what it termed the terrorist Houthi militia, according to the announcement that provided no additional operational details.
Saudi Civil Defense reported that a citizen sustained minor injuries on October 29 when debris from two intercepted Houthi ballistic missiles struck a house and a vehicle in Riyadh. The Saudi Press Agency conveyed the civil defense account, which noted that standard procedures were followed in response to the incident. No further casualties were reported from that event.
The coalition also stated that it had intercepted a cruise missile directed toward the kingdom’s western region and a ballistic missile aimed at the Eastern Province on the same day. KUNA news agency reported the full set of interceptions as part of the coalition’s ongoing defensive operations. These actions occurred amid heightened Houthi targeting of Saudi infrastructure.
The Iran-backed Houthis have launched repeated drone and missile attacks on Saudi airports, energy facilities and urban centers in recent weeks. A strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid Airport on October 10 killed 13 travelers and injured more than 300 others, according to Arab News reporting on coalition assessments. The pattern reflects intensified clashes between Yemen’s government forces and the Houthis.
This latest incident marks another Houthi attempt to reach the Makkah area, which the coalition had previously identified as a prohibited airspace zone. Coalition statements have consistently described the security of the Two Holy Mosques and Umrah pilgrims as a red line that will prompt deterrent responses. The Joint Forces Command has maintained defensive patrols to counter such threats.
Yemen has experienced civil war since the Houthis seized Sanaa and other provinces in 2014. The Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to support the internationally recognized government. The current exchanges continue a cycle of cross-border strikes that have drawn repeated international calls for de-escalation.
