Saudi says debris fell in Mecca, Medina after missile interceptions; Houthis deny targeting holy cities

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi group launched fresh attacks on Saudi Arabia and areas controlled by Yemen's internationally recognised government on Saturday (Oct 24), escalating tensions after accusing the kingdom of carrying out strikes that allegedly killed 17 people.

Saudi Arabia's civil defence agency said it responded to falling debris after intercepting two ballistic missiles in the Mecca and Medina regions, home to Islam's holiest cities.

"Civil defence in the Mecca and Medina regions began to respond to the falling debris from the interception of two ballistic missiles launched by the terrorist Houthi militia," the agency said in a post on X. It added that some debris fell in Wadi Mughamas, outside Mecca.

However, the Houthis denied targeting the two holy cities.

"What the Saudi enemy is promoting about our forces targeting towards the holy areas of Mecca and Medina is a great and huge lie," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said.

Houthis claim attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities

The Houthis said they had targeted three Saudi airports, energy installations, an oil pipeline and an air base over the previous 24 hours.

Saree said the group launched missiles at "King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the capital of the Saudi enemy, in two phases". The airports in Dammam in the east and Najran in the south were also targeted, he said.

The group also claimed attacks on the Khamis Mushait air base in southern Saudi Arabia and "crude oil pumping stations and the crude oil pipeline from east to west".

Earlier on Saturday, the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted two missiles targeting the western Saudi cities of Taif and Yanbu. The country's civil defence agency had also issued warnings of "potential danger" across four western regions, including areas around Mecca, Taif and Yanbu.

Yanbu, located on the Red Sea coast, is a major oil export hub that allows Saudi Arabia to transport crude through its east-west pipeline while bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.

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Saudi Arabia faces growing Houthi threat

Saudi Arabia has faced repeated Houthi attacks in recent weeks as a years-long truce broke down over the summer. The renewed fighting has also shifted attention towards the conflict's wider regional implications amid the US-Iran war that began in February.

An attack on Riyadh airport earlier this month killed 13 people and forced the facility to shut, while the United States ordered non-essential embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia this week, citing the Houthi threat.

The Houthis have increasingly targeted Saudi oil infrastructure, airports and tankers, raising concerns over the security of the kingdom's energy exports.