Saudi air defenses down Houthi missiles and drones
Shafaq News- Riyadh/ Sanaa
Saudi Arabia's air defenses intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by Yemen's Houthi (Ansarallah) movement toward Riyadh and a cruise missile targeting the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait, Saudi-led Coalition spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Malki said on Sunday.
التحالف: الدفاع الجوي اعترض ودمر صاروخ باليستي أطلقته الميليشيا الحوثية الإرهابية باتجاه الرياض. https://t.co/GdtWqjV7Bs
— المتحدث الرسمي باسم قوات التحالف (@CJFCSpox) October 25, 2026
التحالف: اعتراض وتدمير صاروخ طواف (كروز) أطلقته الميليشيا الحوثية الإرهابية باتجاه خميس مشيط. https://t.co/bEvTHSVasw
— المتحدث الرسمي باسم قوات التحالف (@CJFCSpox) October 25, 2026
Al-Malki added that two drones were shot down over the capital, although their origin and intended targets remained unclear.
Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV reported four Saudi airstrikes on the city of Al-Turbah in Al-Shamayatayn district of Taiz province.
In Sanaa province, an attack struck workers' accommodation at a cement factory in the Hamdan district, killing civilians, including three women and four children, and wounding 15 others.
Separately, the Ain Al-Insaniyah Centre for Human Rights and Development, which documents alleged violations in Yemen, recorded 27 deaths and 42 injuries in attacks attributed to Saudi Arabia in Sanaa, Hodeidah and Saada provinces over 48 hours.
The center documented an airstrike on the home of Abdulwahid Al-Wasabi in Al-Tuhayta district that killed five family members. It also reported an attack on the home of Fouad Sharaf Al-Shaabi in Al-Asr area, where four people, including two children, were killed and his wife was wounded.
Meanwhile, a source in the local authority in Taiz accused forces aligned with Saudi Arabia of delaying medical supplies bound for the city and obstructing international humanitarian organizations, according to Yemen's state news agency Saba.
The source added that the delays had entered their fifth consecutive day, as local leaders feared that allowing the supplies through would violate the Saudi blockade imposed on Yemen.
In its latest report, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned that escalating conflict had cut off life-saving assistance to 800,000 people in Yemen. The agency estimated that $268 million was needed to sustain emergency food aid, nutrition programs, school meals, resilience projects and humanitarian logistics through 2027.
Fighting between Ansarallah and Yemen's internationally recognized government, backed by Saudi Arabia, has intensified in 2026 after front lines remained relatively stable for years following a 2022 truce. Houthi forces have launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi infrastructure, while Coalition forces have carried out airstrikes on Houthi positions. Recent clashes have also spread toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic shipping route connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
