Ansar Allah says it targeted Saudi Defense Ministry and Abha Airport with missile and drone

Yahya Sarea, the military spokesman for Yemen's Ansar Allah (the Houthis), said on Tuesday evening that the group targeted the Ministry of Defense in the Saudi capital Riyadh with a ballistic missile and struck Abha International Airport with a drone.

In a series of posts on X, Sarea said the strikes hit their targets precisely, and added that the strike on Abha Airport caused disruption to flight operations at the airport.

Earlier the same day, Sarea said his faction targeted two military transport aircraft with two ballistic missiles, the first at Najran Airport and the second at Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait.

The spokesman also announced that they targeted the Ras Tanura refinery in the Eastern Province with a ballistic missile, saying the attack caused large fires at the targeted site.

For its part, the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen said on Tuesday morning that it intercepted and destroyed seven aerial targets launched toward Saudi territory.

These developments come amid an escalation of Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia since July 2026, which have been described as intensifying during October as the group increased launches of missiles and drones toward airports, oil facilities and military sites inside the kingdom.

Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition to support the internationally recognized Yemeni government against the group that has controlled the capital Sana'a and other provinces since September 2014.