Saudi-led coalition says shot down 6 ballistic missiles launched by Houthis

No response by Yemen’s Houthis to a claim by the coalition forces that its missiles targeted Taif and Yanbu.

Fighters affiliated with the Saudi-backed Yemeni government engage in clashes with Houthi fighters in Yemen [File: AFP]

Saudi-led coalition forces fighting Yemen’s Houthis say they have intercepted six ballistic missiles allegedly fired by the Iran-allied group towards cities in Saudi Arabia.

The missiles were destroyed on Thursday in the direction of the Saudi cities of Taif and the strategically important port of Yanbu, according to Major General Turki al-Malki, the spokesman for the Saudi-backed Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen.

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Saudi air defences intercepted some of the missiles attempting to target the cities, Al-Malki told the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

There was no immediate claim of responsibility from the Houthis or other groups.

The coalition statement came as the Reuters news agency reported that an ‌‌air defence system operated by Greek ⁠⁠military ⁠⁠personnel in Saudi Arabia intercepted a ballistic missile and a drone on Thursday in ⁠⁠the wider Yanbu region, home to major oil refining facilities.

“Both were shot down,” a Greek security source told Reuters, adding that the Greek Patriot system launched two missiles but did not give details ⁠⁠on the origin of the ⁠⁠drone and the ballistic missile. A second source confirmed the information to the news agency.

Yanbu port is key to Saudi crude when shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted.

Earlier on Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Civil Defence issued alerts warning of potential danger in the holy city of Mecca, the northwestern area of Tabuk, the Red Sea areas of Jeddah and Yanbu and the southern area of Taif. They later said the threat had passed and the cities were out of danger.

Last week, Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a drone launched by the Houthis towards Mecca , an accusation the group strongly denied, with Houthi leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi calling the Saudi claims “a heinous lie”.

It was the first time in nearly 10 years that a security alert had been activated in Mecca, home to the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site.

The Houthis have largely attacked southern areas of Saudi Arabia.

They stepped up attacks on the kingdom after declaring a naval blockade in July, a second theatre for the US-Iran war. The Houthis also seized the whole of Yemen’s western coast in a lightning offensive nearly two weeks ago that brought them to the shores of the Red Sea’s strategic Bab al-Mandeb waterway.

Forces with Yemen’s Saudi-backed internationally recognised government said on Thursday they repelled Houthi attacks along several fronts in Yemen’s southwestern Taiz governorate.

Colonel Majid al-Nuzaili, spokesman for the Yemeni government forces, said that the Houthis launched coordinated attacks on Wednesday night in a bid to reach positions on a key road connecting the Aden, Lahj and Taiz governorates.

也门胡塞武装对联军声称其导弹袭击塔伊夫和延布的说法没有作出回应。

与沙特支持的也门政府有关联的武装人员与也门胡塞武装发生冲突 [图片：法新社]

由沙特领导的联军与也门胡塞武装作战，他们声称拦截了六枚据称是伊朗支持的胡塞武装向沙特阿拉伯城市发射的弹道导弹。

据沙特支持的也门恢复合法性联盟发言人图尔基·马尔基少将称，周四，这些导弹被摧毁，目标是沙特城市塔伊夫和具有重要战略意义的延布港。

也门政府在军事和外交上加大力度，试图扭转胡塞武装的攻势（共3条，第1条）

（共3条，此为第2条）专家称，随着大国采取单边行动，联合国在纽约面临危机。

也门军队称在塔伊兹击退胡塞武装的进攻，战斗仍在继续（列表3/3）

沙特防空部队拦截了一些试图袭击城市的导弹，阿尔-马尔基告诉沙特通讯社（SPA）。

胡塞武装或其他组织均未立即声称对此事负责。

就在路透社报道希腊军方人员在沙特阿拉伯操作的防空系统周四在延布地区拦截了一枚弹道导弹和一架无人机（延布地区是主要炼油设施所在地）之后，该联盟发表了声明。

一位希腊安全部门消息人士告诉路透社：“两架无人机都被击落了。”该消息人士还补充说，希腊的“爱国者”导弹防御系统发射了两枚导弹，但没有透露无人机和弹道导弹的来源。另一位消息人士向路透社证实了这一消息。

当霍尔木兹海峡的运输中断时，延布港对沙特原油至关重要。

周四早些时候，沙特阿拉伯民防总局发布警报，警告圣城麦加、西北部的塔布克地区、红海沿岸的吉达和延布以及南部的塔伊夫地区存在潜在危险。随后，他们表示威胁已经解除，这些城市已脱离危险。

上周，沙特阿拉伯称拦截了一架胡塞武装向麦加发射的无人机，但胡塞武装强烈否认了这一指控，胡塞武装领导人阿卜杜勒-马利克·胡塞称沙特的说法是“弥天大谎”。

这是近十年来麦加（伊斯兰教最神圣的圣地克尔白所在地）首次启动安全警报。

胡塞武装主要袭击沙特阿拉伯南部地区。

胡塞武装在7月宣布对也门王国实施海上封锁后，加大了对该国的袭击力度，也门成为美伊战争的第二个战场。大约两周前，胡塞武装发动闪电战，占领了也门整个西部沿海地区，并推进至红海战略要道曼德海峡沿岸。

也门沙特支持的、国际公认的政府的部队周四表示，他们在也门西南部塔伊兹省的多个战线上击退了胡塞武装的进攻。

也门政府军发言人马吉德·努扎伊利上校表示，胡塞武装于周三晚发动协同攻击，企图占领连接亚丁、拉赫季和塔伊兹三省的一条重要道路上的阵地。