Date: October 2, 2026
Reporter: Emilly Jordan
Saudi Arabia's coalition forces said on Friday that they intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles launched by Yemen's Houthi militia toward the southwestern Saudi city of Khamis Mushait, as attacks linked to the conflict in Yemen continued to raise security concerns across the region.
Coalition spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Maliki said Saudi air-defence forces intercepted one ballistic missile headed toward Khamis Mushait at about 3 a.m. local time, shortly after intercepting two other missiles targeting the same area. Arab News reported that four Houthi drones were also reportedly intercepted.
The coalition did not immediately provide details on whether the missiles or debris caused casualties or significant damage. The reported interceptions came as Saudi Arabia has faced a series of missile and drone attacks attributed by Saudi authorities to the Houthis in recent weeks.
Khamis Mushait, located in Asir province in southwestern Saudi Arabia, has previously been targeted during the long-running conflict between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government. The city is also home to important Saudi military facilities.
The latest incident followed other reported Houthi attacks against Saudi territory. On Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted two ballistic missiles and four drones aimed at areas in southern Saudi Arabia.
Saudi authorities have also accused the Houthis of carrying out a drone attack on the Taiba electricity distribution station in Medina earlier in the week. The coalition said the attack temporarily disabled one transformer at the facility, which provides electricity services to the area around the Prophet's Mosque. The Houthis had not immediately commented on that allegation.
The escalation has increased concerns about the security of Saudi cities and critical infrastructure as the conflict involving the Houthis continues. Saudi authorities have repeatedly said they will take measures to protect the kingdom from missile and drone attacks.
The latest missile interceptions also came against the backdrop of a wider regional conflict. Saudi Arabia has sought to protect its territory while the Houthis have expanded their military activity after years of relative calm along the Saudi-Yemeni border.
The renewed fighting follows a period in which a UN-brokered truce largely halted Houthi attacks on Saudi territory beginning in 2022. More recently, however, hostilities have intensified, with the Houthis launching missiles and drones toward Saudi Arabia and the Saudi-led coalition responding with military operations.
Saudi officials have accused the Houthis of receiving support from Iran, while the Houthis have denied claims that they threaten Islamic holy sites. In September, Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a Houthi drone before it entered restricted airspace near Mecca. Houthi officials rejected the accusation that they were threatening Mecca or other Islamic holy sites.
The latest attacks have also prompted discussions among regional governments about how to respond to the renewed Houthi threat. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Friday that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan would hold an emergency meeting in Riyadh to discuss possible political engagement with the Houthis.
Dar said Iran had suggested engaging the Houthis politically and described the idea as a goodwill suggestion rather than a formal proposal. The three countries are members of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed in August, under which an armed attack against one member is treated as an attack against all three.
The proposed meeting comes as Saudi Arabia faces increasing pressure to address attacks that officials say threaten both civilian areas and critical infrastructure. Pakistan's military leadership has already condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and expressed support for the security of Islamic holy sites.
The Houthis have not publicly accepted responsibility for the three missiles described by the Saudi-led coalition in the latest incident, and independent verification of the launches and interceptions was not immediately available.
For Saudi Arabia, the repeated missile and drone interceptions underscore the continuing security challenge along its southern frontier and the potential for the Yemen conflict to spill into broader regional tensions.
The Saudi-led coalition said its air-defence forces successfully intercepted the three ballistic missiles before they could reach their intended area. Further details on possible damage or casualties were expected as authorities continued assessing the latest incident.