Missiles Over Riyadh, a Drone Toward Mecca: Iran's Houthi Proxy Is Testing America's Gulf Ally
Saudi air defenses intercepted ballistic missiles aimed at the capital Thursday and a drone headed for the Mecca region Friday. The pressure on Riyadh — and on Washington's choice of how far to stand with it — keeps building.
By Clara Hughes
Once again, Saudi Arabia's capital heard air-raid warnings — and this time the threat reached toward Islam's holiest city. On Friday morning, Saudi defense ministry spokesman Turki al-Malki said air defenses had intercepted a drone heading toward the Mecca region, Al Jazeera reported, citing AFP and Reuters. A cruise missile fired toward western Saudi Arabia was also brought down. That followed a night of attacks on Thursday. Saudi forces intercepted a ballistic missile aimed at the kingdom's eastern region, then two more fired toward Riyadh, according to Al Jazeera. In the capital, one person suffered minor injuries and a house and a vehicle were damaged, Arab News reported. Warnings went out for Riyadh, Najran and Al-Kharj and were lifted about 20 minutes later. It is the latest in a run of near-daily strikes. On Wednesday a missile aimed at Taif was intercepted; on Tuesday debris fell in Riyadh, Arab News reported. The deadliest blow came Oct. 10, when a strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport killed 13 travelers and injured more than 300, according to Arab News. The Houthis, the Iran-backed militia