DUBAI, Nov 11 (Reuters) – Saudi air defences intercepted Houthi missiles and drones launched towards Riyadh, Mecca and other regions on Wednesday, as hostilities between the Iran-aligned group and the kingdom worsen.
The Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Yemeni group said it had intercepted and destroyed three cruise missiles headed to the Riyadh region, two drones aimed at Mecca and southern areas and two missiles pointed towards the west.
Mecca, home to sites sacred to Muslims worldwide, is Islam’s holiest city and the focal point of the annual hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, which millions of Muslims undertake each year.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree later denied targeting Mecca with a drone, saying the group’s operations target oil facilities and military bases.
Saree also said the Houthis had attacked a pumping station in Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu, a key Saudi oil hub that allows exports to avoid the blocked Strait of Hormuz. There was no Saudi confirmation of the Houthi statement.
Saudi civil defence issued alerts warning of potential danger in the cities of Taif, Yanbu and Khamis Mushait later on Wednesday, then announced the danger had passed, state television reported.
The militia, which controls most of the populous parts of Yemen, has intensified attacks on the Saudi capital in recent days, saying it was responding to Saudi attacks in Yemen. A Houthi attack on Sunday damaged an Aramco administrative building in Riyadh’s financial hub.
Wednesday’s interceptions marked the second consecutive day that Saudi air defences had intercepted Houthi missiles launched towards Riyadh, after they downed a ballistic missile and a cruise missile on Tuesday, the coalition said.
Last month, a Houthi attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.
Renewed fighting between the two sides has intensified since September, when the Houthis advanced towards the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic shipping chokepoint at the southern entrance to the Red Sea.
The Houthis have since stepped up strikes on Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities, while Saudi Arabia has ramped up airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in response.
(Reporting by Nayera Abdallah, Jana Choukeir, Yomna Ehab and Ahmed TolbaEditing by Ros Russell, Peter Graff, Philippa Fletcher and Cynthia Osterman)
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