Saudi-led coalition says intercepted missiles launched toward Riyadh; Houthis claim attack on Saudi oil refinery

RIYADH/SANAA, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Saudi-led coalition said Tuesday it had intercepted two ballistic missiles launched by Yemen's Houthi group toward the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Coalition spokesman Turki Al-Maliki said on social media platform X that Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed the two Houthi missiles launched toward Riyadh.

Explosions were heard in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, on Tuesday afternoon. Local residents received alerts via mobile apps.

Earlier in the day, the coalition said Saudi air defenses had intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province.

In a separate announcement, the coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed four Houthi drones launched toward the kingdom's southern region.

Yemen's Houthi group said earlier it had launched a ballistic missile at the Ras Tanura oil refinery in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, claiming the attack caused large fires at the facility.

In a statement on social media platform X, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea claimed that the missile had "accurately" struck the refinery, without providing further details.

Ras Tanura, on Saudi Arabia's Gulf coast in the Eastern Province, is a major hub for the kingdom's oil industry, home to a Saudi Aramco refinery and a key terminal for crude oil and petroleum product exports.

The developments came amid a sharp escalation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, with the Houthi group stepping up missile and drone attacks deep inside Saudi Arabia while Saudi air and missile strikes have intensified across Houthi-held areas in Yemen.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting the Saudi Arabia-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of the Yemeni government.