RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s air defenses intercepted drones and ballistic missiles fired by Houthi militants at targets across the Kingdom on Tuesday

Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki, spokesman for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, said three drones were destroyed north of Riyadh.

Ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis at Dhahran and Haradh were also intercepted on Tuesday night. Debris from the interception of the missile targeting Dhahran fell in a residential area and teams responded to the site, Al-Maliki said.

The coalition later announced the interception and destruction of four cruise missiles and two drones in the Riyadh region and southern region.

Meanwhile, the coalition also carried out an operation on Tuesday to neutralize capabilities used by the Houthis to threaten the Kingdom, Yemen, the southern Red Sea, and maritime corridors.

It issued a warning on Tuesday for civilians to evacuate a site in Sanaa ahead of the operation.

Al-Maliki said: “The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition requests civilians to evacuate the site of the Yemeni Oil Company’s Al-Sabaha Central Fuel Station in Sanaa, in accordance with an illustrative map of the location, for their own safety.”

The Houthis have been attacking several airports ‌and oil facilities in the Kingdom in recent days.

Houthi strikes killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 300 at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday.

Four people died in earlier attacks on Wednesday and Thursday, and another was killed on Sunday.

KKIA has issued an advisory informing passengers to contact their airlines directly to confirm their flight status before heading to the airport.

Many flights to and from Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah have been cancelled until Oct. 17.

Air India posted on X: “In view of the evolving situation in Saudi Arabia, all Air India flights to and from Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah stand cancelled until Oct. 17. We are closely monitoring and assessing the developments in the region to resume safe operations. Affected guests are being offered a full refund on cancellation.”

Saquib Hamza, an account manager in Riyadh who was traveling to Dubai on Thursday for a business meeting, told Arab News: “I received a message from Saudi Airlines today that the flight has been cancelled. My tickets are on auto cancellation and I have been offered a full refund on the account.”