Aden (South24 Center)

Saudi Arabia announced on Monday (October 26) that it had intercepted a ballistic missile launched by the Iran-aligned Houthi militia toward Riyadh and carried out military operations targeting missile launchers, tunnels and weapons depots belonging to the group in Yemen, amid escalating attacks between the two sides.

Saudi military spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Malki said air defenses intercepted the missile early Monday, while Saudi forces destroyed two ballistic missile launchers in Sanaa, one of which had been used in the attack on Riyadh.

In a separate statement issued in his capacity as spokesperson for the "Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen," Al-Malki said a military operation targeting Houthi missile capabilities had destroyed five tunnels used to store ballistic missiles, four launchers and a missile depot. The operation also targeted Houthi fortifications, troop concentrations and supply lines inside Yemen.

He said the operations were carried out in response to repeated Houthi attacks on Saudi territory and in accordance with international humanitarian law. No casualty figures were disclosed, and the extent of the reported destruction could not be independently verified.

Meanwhile, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed on Monday that the group had targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with a ballistic missile and oil pumping stations along Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline, which runs from the country's eastern region to the Red Sea coast, with drones.

Saree claimed the attacks had achieved their objectives, but there was no independent confirmation of direct hits or damage to the targeted facilities.

The Houthis had also announced on Sunday evening (October 25) that they had targeted King Khalid International Airport, an air base in Khamis Mushait and a Saudi Border Guard naval base in Jizan.

Saudi Civil Defense said on Sunday that a Saudi citizen and an Asian resident were injured by falling debris from two intercepted ballistic missiles in Khamis Mushait and Ahad Rafidah in the southern Asir region. The debris also damaged three residential buildings and seven vehicles.

The incidents followed a Saudi announcement on Saturday (October 24) that two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis toward the Makkah and Madinah regions had been intercepted, with debris falling in several locations, including Wadi Al-Mughammas, Jeddah, Taif and Rabigh.

The latest escalation follows a series of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia since early October, most notably the October 10 attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, which killed several people, injured hundreds and disrupted air traffic.

In Yemen, Houthi-affiliated media reported airstrikes on locations in Sanaa on Monday, without disclosing casualties or identifying the targeted sites. The group had reported two Saudi airstrikes in As-Sabrah District of Ibb Governorate the previous day.

The Houthis also announced on Monday that they had carried out two missile attacks against what they claimed were military positions in the Salah Al-Din area of Aden and the city of Al-Wahat in Lahj Governorate, South Yemen.

The claims followed Houthi attacks in recent days on Aden International Airport and Coast Guard facilities in the Khormaksar and Tawahi districts, part of an escalating campaign targeting vital and military facilities in South Yemen.

In Taiz, pro-government forces reported airstrikes on Houthi positions in Jabal Han and Al-Dhabab, west of the city, alongside clashes on the Old Airport and Al-Aqrooz fronts.

Government military spokesperson Colonel Majed Al-Nuzaili said the forces had conducted 753 targeting operations over 24 hours, which he claimed had neutralized approximately 218 Houthi fighters and destroyed or disabled 78 vehicles, weapons and pieces of military equipment. The figures could not be independently verified.

On the diplomatic front, the escalation coincided with an announcement by Iran's Supreme National Security Council on Monday of a meeting in Tehran involving Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir, Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin and Iranian officials, including council secretary Mohsen Rezaei.

Ali Bagheri Kani, the council's deputy secretary, said the meeting aimed to strengthen regional security, while the Saudi Foreign Ministry said the talks were part of efforts to de-escalate tensions, promote diplomatic solutions and support Qatari and Pakistani mediation.