Saudi air defences intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Houthi militia in Yemen towards Riyadh on Thursday, the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen said on Thursday evening. The missiles were described as intercepted and destroyed, according to Arab News reporting of the coalition statement.

Saudi civil defence had earlier issued warnings of potential danger through the National Early Warning Platform for Riyadh, Al-Kharj Governorate and the southern city of Najran, urging residents to follow official safety instructions. A mobile phone alert warned that the city of Riyadh was under a hostile aerial threat, and AFP correspondents reported hearing at least eight explosions in the capital. The reports cited did not confirm the cause of those explosions, and Saudi authorities had not provided further details about the latest alerts at the time of reporting.

A separate incident from Thursday morning

This evening incident is separate from the interception reported earlier on Thursday, when the coalition said it had destroyed a ballistic missile fired towards the kingdom's Eastern Province. A further interception, towards Taif in western Saudi Arabia, was reported on Wednesday. Earlier in the week, the Houthis said they had targeted the Ras Tanura refinery in the Eastern Province with a ballistic missile, according to AFP reporting. Tehran has denied involvement in Houthi attacks after Saudi Arabia accused Iran of encouraging the group's escalation.

What remains unconfirmed

No casualty or damage figure for the Thursday evening Riyadh incident was confirmed in the coalition and AFP reporting cited here. A monitoring summary noted it was not immediately reported whether falling debris caused casualties or damage. Readers should treat any unverified claim about a specific target or damage from this incident with caution until Saudi authorities publish further details.

Sources: Pakistan TV live blog, citing the coalition and AFP; Global Event Monitor; The Business Standard / AFP, on the Eastern Province incident.