Explosions in Riyadh – Saudi Arabia intercepts missile and drone

According to a journalist from the AFP news agency, two explosions were heard in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh early on Saturday morning. An early warning system had been activated to warn residents of a possible threat, the Saudi Arabian civil defense said.

The Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen said it shot down a ballistic missile headed for Riyadh and a drone in the east of the country.

Saudi Arabia has been subjected to almost daily attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militia since the beginning of the month. The Houthis have repeatedly fired drones and missiles from Yemen at Saudi Arabian airports in recent weeks. An attack on Riyadh's international airport on October 10 killed 13 people and injured more than 300 others.

With the US-Israeli attacks on Iran at the end of February, the conflict between the Houthis and the Yemeni government escalated again. For more than a decade, Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition supporting Yemen's internationally recognized government in the fight against the Iranian-funded Houthis.