Saudi Coalition Stops Missile and Drone Attack from Yemen as Iran Refutes Saudi Accusations

The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a ballistic missile, two cruise missiles and three drones that were launched from Yemen toward Saudi targets on Friday. The weapons were stopped before reaching their intended sites. The coalition’s statement said the intercepted weapons were part of a broader pattern of cross‑border attacks that have risen in recent weeks. In a separate incident, a projectile struck a tanker near the Strait of Hormuz and a fire broke out on another vessel sailing in the Sea of Oman. Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence issued alerts for Abha city and Khamis Mushait governorate through its National Early Warning Platform, urging residents to follow safety instructions posted on X. Yemen’s government forces announced that the army’s 35th Armoured Brigade captured a Houthi team that operates drones on the al‑Aqrud‑Kahlan front southeast of Taiz, a region where fighting has intensified and displaced thousands. The captured drone team was described as specialists, highlighting the growing use of unmanned aerial systems in the conflict. Iran’s foreign ministry rejected Saudi accusations that Tehran was behind the Houthi attacks and offered to act as an intermediary between the Houthis and Riyadh. The series of strikes, warnings and diplomatic exchanges kept tension high across the Gulf, Yemen and the occupied West Bank on Friday.

Context

The Houthi rebels in Yemen have frequently used missiles and drones to target Saudi Arabia, and Iran is often blamed for supplying them. Shipping lanes near Hormuz remain vulnerable to such attacks, which can disrupt global oil flow.