The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said it intercepted a ballistic missile launched by the Houthi armed group towards the Medina region. The announcement on Thursday followed a warning from Saudi Arabia regarding potential danger near the strategic port of Yanbu.
Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki stated on social media that air defence intercepted and destroyed the projectile. The Medina region houses one of Islam’s holiest cities.
The Houthi movement rejected the allegation that they targeted Medina. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree wrote on X that the accusation was a blatant and grave falsehood. He said their operations target only military bases and oil facilities.
Saudi Arabia’s civil defence agency had issued an alert through the National Early Warning Platform in Yanbu Governorate. The agency later declared that the threat had passed.
Yanbu serves as a major oil export hub and an important outlet for shipments transported through the kingdom’s East-West pipeline. The port and pipeline have played a vital role since the outbreak of the war involving Iran in February, facilitating crude and fuel shipments to global markets.
Meanwhile, internationally recognised government forces in Yemen advanced in the Sanamat area of Taiz governorate. Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili said government forces conducted 1,298 targeting operations over a 24-hour period.
According to al-Nazili, these operations killed about 400 Houthi fighters and destroyed 132 vehicles, cars, or heavy weapons placements. Independent verification of these casualty figures was not immediately possible.
Yemeni government forces previously reclaimed key positions near the Bab al-Mandeb strait and Dhubab district in Taiz. Military engineering units were working to clear recaptured sites of mines and booby traps on the al-Jawf front.
Government officials stated late last month that 16,100 Houthi operatives and commanders had been killed or wounded since October 5. The Houthis have not confirmed any death tolls while continuing to fire regular missiles towards Saudi Arabia, disrupting air traffic.
Yazeed al-Jeddawy, a research manager at the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies, said the conflict increasingly resembles a prolonged war of attrition. He stated that the recent government offensive has not altered the overall balance of power. He added that the domestic conflict is now closely tied to the wider regional confrontation and the war involving Iran.
