The Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen said on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, that it had intercepted and destroyed three drones north of the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in the latest operation to counter aerial threats targeting the kingdom. In a brief statement, the coalition said its forces had intercepted and destroyed the three drones north of Riyadh as part of ongoing defensive operations to deal with aerial threats.
Aerial threats tracked and ballistic missiles intercepted
The announcement came a day after the coalition confirmed that it had detected and tracked threats involving drones and cruise missiles targeting Saudi Arabia, saying that its forces had begun dealing with them. It also announced on the same day that it had intercepted and destroyed ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis towards Riyadh. The Saudi capital and other cities have seen a rise in aerial attacks in recent days.
The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation had previously announced that the death toll from the attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh during the weekend had risen to 13, with more than 300 injured, including critical cases. The coalition held the Houthis responsible for the attack.
The coalition had previously announced, on 7 October 2026, that it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis north of Riyadh. The coalition spokesman, Major General Staff Turki al-Malki, said at the time that intelligence systems were tracking the launch platform in Sanaa in preparation for targeting it.
The interception of the three drones is part of a series of detection and countermeasure operations carried out by coalition forces and Saudi air defences against missiles and drones targeting areas inside the kingdom.
