Missiles reach Mecca and Medina
Yemeni army claims 300 Houthi fighters killed in 700 operations as strikes hit Aden airport and Saudi holy cities.
By Pedro Tanaka ·
Debris from intercepted ballistic missiles landed in the Saudi holy cities of Mecca and Medina on Saturday.
The escalation follows a fragile ceasefire that collapsed in July, prompting Houthi forces to target Saudi energy infrastructure and airports with increasing frequency. This sustained pressure has defined the current phase of the conflict since the truce ended.
Saudi Arabia’s civil defence agency confirmed the launch of two ballistic missiles toward the two cities on Saturday. The agency warned of falling shrapnel after intercepting the projectiles. Images from the Saudi Press Agency showed a large, blackened missile-shaped object resting within Saudi territory.
The Houthi group disputed the official account of the targets. They called the claim that they aimed at Mecca and Medina a huge lie. Instead, they stated their intended targets were three Saudi airports, oil infrastructure, and an airbase.
In Yemen, the Transport Ministry condemned the targeting of Aden International Airport. Officials said two ballistic missiles struck the facility, marking the fourth such incident in the current month. Authorities reported that the coastguard headquarters and another building were also hit. The Houthi group claimed responsibility for hitting the al-Nasr camp and the naval military base in Aden.
Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, described the attacks as heinous. He said the strikes embodied a blatant disregard for the lives and security of civilians. In a related incident on Friday, Yemen’s army announced that a malfunctioning Houthi missile crashed into a family home in Sanaa, killing three people.
Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili, a Yemeni army spokesman, said government forces conducted more than 700 targeting operations over the previous 24 hours. He claimed these operations neutralized 300 Houthi fighters and disabled military vehicles. The operations focused on field command centres, Houthi gatherings, weapons depots, and supply lines in Taiz, where intense clashes have persisted for days.
