Coalition: Interception and Destruction of Ballistic Missile Launched by Houthi Militia Towards Riyadh; Attempts to Target Bisha, Taif, Farasan, and Yanbu Foiled

The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition announced that the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the terrorist Houthi militia towards Riyadh early this Saturday morning. Meanwhile, the air defenses thwarted hostile attempts to target civilians and civilian objects in the cities of Bisha, Taif, Farasan, and Yanbu.

The official spokesperson for the Coalition Forces, Major General Turki Al-Maliki, stated in a press release that the escalation by the terrorist Houthi militia and their continued attempts to target civilians and civilian objects in the capital, Riyadh, "a city inhabited by more than eight million citizens and residents," confirm "the obstinacy of this militia and their deliberate and systematic targeting of civilians and civilian objects in a terrorist and hostile manner."

Major General Al-Maliki affirmed "the inherent right of the Coalition leadership to take appropriate measures, in accordance with international humanitarian law and its customary rules, to deter the behavior of the terrorist Houthi militia."

This escalation comes a day after a statement issued by members of the United Nations Security Council, which condemned "in the strongest terms" the ongoing Houthi attacks on the Kingdom, affirming its inherent right to self-defense under international law. This follows days after a drone was intercepted attempting to enter the airspace of Mecca on Tuesday, and debris from another drone fell in Taif on Thursday, resulting in the death of a resident and injuries to two others.