RIYADH, 20 September, 2026 (Kamran Raja): A ballistic missile launched by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement towards Riyadh was successfully intercepted and destroyed by Saudi air defences early Saturday, the Saudi-led coalition said, as a fire also broke out at a fuel depot near King Khalid International Airport. Firefighters extinguished the blaze on a fuel tank bearing the logo of Saudi oil giant Aramco, while footage verified by AFP showed a column of black smoke rising above buildings near the airport. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said the Houthis had also attempted to target civilians and civilian infrastructure in Bisha, Taif, Farasan and Yanbu, but the attacks were thwarted by Saudi air defences. The Houthis claimed they had carried out two military operations using ballistic and cruise missiles and drones, targeting sensitive sites in Riyadh and Aramco facilities in Yanbu. Saudi authorities had earlier issued an overnight air raid alert, while residents reported hearing explosions across parts of the capital. FlightRadar24 temporarily reported major disruptions at King Khalid International Airport before normal air traffic began to resume. The US State Department and its embassies in the region also issued a security alert, warning that the conflict could escalate rapidly. The incident comes amid a renewed Houthi offensive in Yemen and escalating Saudi airstrikes against Houthi-held areas. The latest fighting has displaced more than 112,000 people inside Yemen, according to the United Nations, while nearly 3,000 others have fled across the sea to Djibouti. The conflict began in 2014 when the Houthis seized control of Sanaa and other areas, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention in March 2015. A fragile truce reached in 2022 collapsed in July, with tensions further increasing as the Houthis expanded their control along Yemen’s Red Sea coastline.