Strikes and counter-strikes around Riyadh

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said on Monday 26 October that it had struck Houthi missile launchers and storage facilities, a day after explosions rattled the Saudi capital and residents received warnings of a hostile aerial threat. The announcement marks another escalation in a campaign that has repeatedly targeted Riyadh's airport and other Saudi sites in recent weeks.

What the coalition says it hit

Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said the operation destroyed four ballistic missile launchers, a missile depot and tunnels used by the Houthis, who control a large part of Yemen. He said the operation focused on cutting Houthi supply lines between areas under their control. He also said air defences intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched towards Riyadh. The coalition's account has not been independently verified in the reports reviewed for this brief.

What the Houthis claim

The Houthis, for their part, claimed a fresh attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, with military spokesman Yahya Saree saying on social media that the airport had been struck with precision. He also said the group had struck oil pumping stations with drones. The airport had reopened and flights had resumed on Sunday, with the Houthis warning travellers to avoid the facility, calling it a military target. The competing claims over the airport could not be reconciled from the sources available, and no casualty or damage figure for the latest exchange is stated here.