Saudi Arabia shoots down Houthi missiles near Mecca and Medina

Residents in western Saudi Arabia woke to a new reality on Saturday as falling debris from intercepted missiles landed in Jeddah, Taif, and Rabigh. The Saudi Civil Defense confirmed that two ballistic missiles were shot down after being launched by Yemen’s Houthis toward the regions containing the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

The Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, claimed the group targeted multiple critical infrastructure sites. These included a Saudi Aramco facility in Yanbu, the Rabigh oil refinery, and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Saree also listed King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Najran airport, and an air base in Khamis Mushait among the strikes.

In Yemen, the Saba News Agency reported that the National Commission for Human Rights condemned the Saudi response to earlier hostilities. The agency described a "massacre" in the Asr neighborhood of Sanaa and an attack on a cement factory in the Hamdan district of Sanaa Governorate.

The US State Department issued a travel advisory update for Israel on Friday, warning American citizens of an increased threat from Iran-backed Houthi terrorists. The notice cited previous Houthi attacks on Saudi civilian airports and critical infrastructure that caused travel disruptions and civilian casualties.

The advisory warned of the potential for a rapid escalation of regional hostilities. It maintained Israel’s travel advisory classification at Level 3, which urges travelers to reconsider trips due to terrorism and unrest. Existing risk indicators and restrictions on travel to specific areas of the country remained unchanged in the new notice.