Explosions Echo Across Riyadh As Missile Intercepted Over Saudi Capital

Multiple loud blasts echoed across the Saudi capital on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, after air defences intercepted a ballistic missile. The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis stated that it successfully destroyed the missile launched toward Riyadh by the group. AFP journalists heard the explosions, and local residents received urgent mobile phone alerts telling them to take shelter from an aerial threat. A later message from the civil defence agency confirmed the danger had passed. The coalition had earlier destroyed another ballistic missile headed towards the southern region overnight. Saudi Arabia has faced near-daily strikes from the Houthis after a truce unravelled in July. On Sunday, November 8, the Houthis claimed an attack on Riyadh's business district where the Aramco Tower suffered minor damage from falling shrapnel. Official images on Tuesday showed regional officials inspecting the visible damage on several floors of the building. In response, Saudi warplanes carried out airstrikes on Tuesday targeting a gas facility and a state oil company building in Sanaa, according to the Houthi news agency Saba.

Context

Saudi Arabia leads a military coalition that intervened in Yemen in March 2015 after the Houthi movement seized the capital Sanaa and pushed out the internationally recognised government. The ongoing regional conflict frequently involves cross-border missile and drone attacks directed at Saudi cities and energy infrastructure.