Saudi Coalition Destroys Houthi Missiles Aimed at Taif and Yanbu as Civil Defence Alerts Sound in Makkah and Jeddah

A Saudi-led coalition has destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Houthi group towards the Saudi cities of Taif and Yanbu, as Saudi Civil Defence briefly warned residents across the Makkah region, including the holy city of Makkah and Jeddah, of a potential aerial danger on Saturday.

Main News Report

Reuters reported that the coalition destroyed the two missiles as fighting between the sides continued. Saudi Arabia's Civil Defence issued alerts warning of potential danger in Taif and Yanbu, as well as in Makkah and Jeddah, and said around ten minutes later that the danger had passed.

Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki said the two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi militia towards Taif and Yanbu had been intercepted and destroyed.

The interceptions came hours after PakInsight Hub reported that Saudi air defences had intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh earlier on Saturday.

Separately, Yemen's Saudi-backed government said the Houthis had fired three ballistic missiles at coast guard facilities in the southern port city of Aden, opening another front in the escalating conflict. Two of the missiles struck a coast guard headquarters, while the third hit a coast guard building in Aden's Tawahi district, according to Yemen's Interior Ministry. The coalition had not immediately commented on that assertion.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed the group had targeted a string of Saudi sites, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, an Aramco facility in Yanbu, the Rabigh oil refinery, crude oil pumping stations and the East-West Pipeline, as well as King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, an airport in Najran and an airbase in Khamis Mushait. Saudi authorities had not immediately confirmed those claims, and it remained unclear whether the reported attacks had hit their targets or been intercepted.

Background Context

Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition supporting Yemen's government against the Houthis since 2015, and the group has controlled the capital, Sanaa, and other parts of Yemen since 2014. A United Nations-brokered truce agreed in 2022 had largely halted cross-border attacks, but the renewed fighting has shattered that pause.

Earlier this month, the Houthis warned airlines against using Saudi airspace, exempting only the airspace over Makkah and Madinah, as they intensified attacks on the kingdom.

The latest escalation is part of the wider regional conflict: PakInsight Hub reported on Sunday that US intelligence had warned Iranian plots against US personnel had reached "advanced stages", while US President Donald Trump has threatened fresh strikes on Iran. Attacks on Saudi airports have continued in recent weeks, with Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport only partially reopened after being closed this month.

Reactions and Statements

Major General al-Maliki's statement, posted on X, read: "Two ballistic missiles launched by the terrorist Houthi militia toward the cities of Taif and Yanbu were intercepted and destroyed."

Saudi Civil Defence issued its alerts through the National Early Warning Platform and later confirmed the danger had passed in Jeddah, Taif, Yanbu and the Makkah region.

Yemen's Interior Ministry, part of the internationally recognised government, said two missiles struck a coast guard headquarters in Aden and a third hit a coast guard building in Tawahi district. Saree claimed Saudi officers were overseeing mobilisation at the sites targeted in Aden, an assertion the coalition had not immediately addressed.

Why This News Matters

For Pakistan, the stakes are direct. The Gulf is home to a large Pakistani workforce, and alerts covering Makkah and Jeddah touch the cities at the heart of Umrah travel. Any escalation also threatens energy supplies: Brent crude had already risen to $116.72 a barrel, a six-month high, earlier on Saturday, pushing Pakistan's fuel costs higher, with diesel raised to Rs393.66 per litre for 24–26 October.

The key developments at a glance:

• The Saudi-led coalition destroyed two Houthi ballistic missiles aimed at Taif and Yanbu on Saturday.
• Saudi Civil Defence briefly warned of potential danger in Taif, Yanbu, Makkah and Jeddah, then said the danger had passed about ten minutes later.
• Yemen's Saudi-backed government said three Houthi missiles hit coast guard facilities in Aden, opening a new front in the conflict.
• The Houthis claimed wider attacks on Saudi oil facilities and airports, including an Aramco site in Yanbu and the Rabigh refinery; those claims are unconfirmed.
• The fighting follows the collapse of the 2022 UN-brokered truce and comes amid the wider US–Iran confrontation.

Future Developments

Attention now turns to whether the coalition responds further, whether the Houthis follow through on their claimed campaign against Saudi oil and aviation targets, and whether the Aden front widens. Mr Trump's threat of another round of strikes on Iran, and his envoy's warning that a strike could come as soon as this weekend, keep the wider confrontation on a knife edge, while Washington's updated travel advisories for 13 regional countries underline how quickly the situation could escalate.

PakInsight Hub will continue to follow the Saudi–Houthi fighting, any further alerts in the Makkah region, and the diplomatic efforts to prevent a wider war.

Sources

• Reuters — Saudi-led coalition says it destroyed Houthi ballistic missiles fired towards Yanbu and Taif (via Deccan Herald)
• ABP Live — Yemen's Houthis claim attacks on Saudi oil facilities, airports; coalition intercepts 2 missiles

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