Saudi-led coalition says it intercepts three Houthi ballistic missiles — SkimNews
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- Saudi-led coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said forces intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles headed toward Riyadh and a third toward Khamis Mushait near the Yemeni border on Thursday.
- Saudi civil defence reported that falling debris from an intercepted missile caused material damage to a kindergarten and a medical clinic complex in Riyadh; the agency did not indicate any casualties.
- Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed the group successfully hit King Khalid International Airport, causing damage and halting air traffic — a claim Al Jazeera said it could not independently confirm, though AP witnesses reported explosions including one at the airport.
- The Houthis have warned aviation companies to avoid all Saudi airspace except routes over Mecca and Medina, declaring any aircraft in those areas a target, following Tuesday and Wednesday attacks on Abha and King Khalid airports that killed at least 3 civilians and injured 36.
- Inside Yemen, pro-government forces have advanced to within striking distance of al-Waziiya and the Kahboub Mountains overlooking the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait, while Houthis push into rural Taiz countryside in an attempt to reopen cut supply lines.
- The International Organization for Migration said more than 200,000 people have been displaced since fighting escalated in recent weeks — up from 76,000 recorded in mid-September, a surge the agency called alarming.
Why it matters: Interceptions are no longer keeping debris off Saudi civilian infrastructure — a school and clinic complex in Riyadh were hit on the same day the Houthi spokesman publicly claimed an airport strike succeeded. Inside Yemen, pro-government forces are closing on the Bab al-Mandeb chokepoint, meaning the same conflict that is menacing Saudi airspace is also reshaping control of a critical maritime corridor.
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