Explosions heard in Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh amid missile attack threat

Several explosions were heard in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday, November 10, 2026. According to a report by The Hindu, a ballistic missile launched towards Riyadh by Yemen's Houthi group was intercepted and destroyed in mid-air by the Saudi coalition. During this incident, residents received 'aerial threat' warnings on their mobile phones, instructing them to take shelter. AFP journalists also reported hearing the explosions.

The Saudi coalition stated in a post on the social media platform X that a ballistic missile launched towards Riyadh by Houthi terrorist militia was shot down by the air defence system. Subsequently, the country's civil defence agency issued a message stating that the danger had passed. Earlier, the coalition had also mentioned that a ballistic missile heading towards the southern region during the night was intercepted by air defence.

Claims of attacks on Riyadh's business district were also made recently. On Sunday, November 8, the Houthis claimed to have attacked Riyadh's business district, where witnesses reported damage to the Aramco Tower. Saudi authorities clarified that the building sustained minor damage due to falling debris during this 'attack attempt'. In photographs released by the Saudi Press Agency on Tuesday, the Deputy Governor of Riyadh region and other officials can be seen inspecting the damage visible on some floors of the building.

The Houthis have repeatedly targeted Aramco's tankers, refineries, storage areas, and the company's headquarters. In response, the coalition is conducting airstrikes on Houthi strongholds in Yemen. According to the Saba news agency, Saudi warplanes carried out attacks on Tuesday in the Yemeni capital Sana'a and surrounding areas, targeting a gas facility and the building of the Yemeni state oil company.

Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil exporter. Since the breakdown of the ceasefire in the long-standing conflict in July, attacks by the Houthis have been occurring almost daily for weeks.

The Saudi coalition began fighting the Houthis in March 2015. This conflict started when the Houthi group seized control of Sana'a and ousted the internationally recognised government of Yemen.