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Morning Edition · Sunday, October 25, 2026Published at 1:18 AM EDT · New York
Saudi-led coalition intercepts Houthi ballistic missile over Riyadh days after Aramco empties its headquarters
The coalition said it brought down at least three aerial targets overnight, after recent Houthi attacks on the Shaybah oil field and Dammam's airport killed four people.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said early on Sunday that it had shot down a ballistic missile launched toward Riyadh. TASS said it was at least the third aerial target intercepted overnight. The Times of Israel quoted the coalition as saying its air defenses "intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the terrorist Houthi militia toward Riyadh." Residents received shelter alerts before explosions were heard. King Khalid International Airport said operations would resume at Terminals 1 and 2.
The attack on Riyadh follows a series of strikes on the kingdom's energy and transport sites. On October 22, Saudi Aramco ordered a full evacuation of its Dhahran headquarters and told essential staff to work from home, after an attack the week before damaged a tower in the compound. Two people died in an attack on the Shaybah oil field, and two more were killed at King Fahd airport in Dammam. Arab News reported that the head of Mecca's Grand Mosque condemned Houthi strikes aimed at Mecca and Medina.
The Houthis, who are allied with Tehran, were fighting Riyadh before the US-Iran war began in February. They increased their attacks this month after Saudi-backed Yemeni forces began an offensive to retake Houthi-held territory. Al Jazeera reported that the Houthis struck Aramco hours after the coalition hit an oil site in Sanaa, and presented the strike as retaliation. Brent rose on Friday partly because of the attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Part of a tracked trend
Iran War Spills Across Fronts
The US-Iran conflict keeps drawing in new theaters and third parties, from the Red Sea to the Caspian, so its risk premium spreads to infrastructure and shipping lanes previously thought insulated from the Gulf.
Veracity: Corroborated
82/100- If true, who benefits
Riyadh gains international sympathy and backing for its Yemen offensive by stressing threats to cities and holy sites. The Houthis and Tehran gain leverage over Saudi oil and air traffic, and crude sellers outside the Gulf benefit from the added risk premium.
- The nuance
The pattern of attacks is well corroborated, including the October 13 missile strike that damaged Aramco's headquarters and repeated attacks on Riyadh. Every interception claim, however, comes from the coalition alone. Aramco reported no disruption to oil production. The Houthis present the strikes as retaliation for coalition attacks on Sanaa and for the ground offensive, and how far Tehran directs the Houthis remains disputed.
An open-source-intelligence read of how likely this story is true with its real nuance, not a judgment of any outlet. It assesses the claim, weighing independent and adversarial reporting. How we label confidence.
What this means
Synthesized from: TASS · Gulf News · The Times of Israel · Al Jazeera
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