Houthis fire missiles at Saudi holy sites

Saudi Arabia’s civil defence agency confirmed on Saturday that two ballistic missiles were launched toward Mecca and Medina. The agency warned of falling shrapnel after intercepting the projectiles, and images from the Saudi Press Agency showed a large, blackened missile fragment landing within the kingdom.

The Houthi group disputed the official account of their targets. They rejected the claim that they aimed at the two holy cities, calling it a "huge lie." Instead, the group stated their intended targets were three Saudi airports, oil infrastructure, and an airbase.

In Yemen, the Transport Ministry condemned the targeting of Aden International Airport on Saturday. The ministry stated that two ballistic missiles hit the facility, marking the fourth such incident in the current month. Officials warned that these attacks threaten civil aviation safety and have economic consequences for residents who rely on the airport for travel.

Yemeni authorities also reported that the coastguard headquarters and another building were struck. The Houthis claimed responsibility for hitting the al-Nasr camp and the naval military base in Aden. In a separate incident on Friday, a malfunctioning Houthi missile crashed into a family home in Sanaa, killing three people.

Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported that Saudi coalition airstrikes killed several civilians in Sanaa and Hodeidah on Saturday. The claim has not been independently verified, and Riyadh has not issued a formal comment on the alleged raids.

Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, described the Houthi attacks as "heinous." He said the strikes showed a "blatant disregard" for civilian lives and security.

Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili, a Yemeni army spokesman, said government forces conducted more than 700 targeting operations over the previous 24 hours. He claimed these operations neutralized 300 Houthi fighters and disabled military vehicles in Taiz, a region where clashes have persisted for days. Al Jazeera could not independently verify these figures.