Saudi-led coalition intercepts missiles towards Riyadh, drones in Eastern Province

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said on Sunday it had intercepted two Houthi ballistic missiles launched towards the Saudi capital Riyadh and three drones in the kingdom’s oil-rich Eastern Province.

The Houthis, who control most of the populous parts of Yemen, have intensified attacks on the Saudi capital in recent days. A Houthi attack last week damaged an administrative building of the state oil company Saudi Aramco in Riyadh’s financial hub.

The Eastern Province, the economic powerhouse of Saudi Arabia, has been subject to multiple attacks by Houthis in the past few weeks.

It contains the majority of the kingdom’s oil and gas reserves and is home to Aramco’s headquarters, which suffered extensive damage in an attack in October.

The Houthis have stepped up strikes on ⁠Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities, while Saudi Arabia has ramped up airstrikes on Houthi targets ​in Yemen in response.