October 22, 2026
The Saudi capital, Riyadh, has returned to the target zone, following the authorities’ announcement, on Tuesday, of the interception and destruction of a missile and a drone in the city’s airspace, coinciding with an unprecedented escalation in the pace of Houthi attacks this month.
Official authorities reported that they intercepted a missile launched towards Riyadh, followed by official confirmation of the interception and destruction of a drone over the capital. The official announcement was preceded by hearing two explosions in the city, according to Agence France-Presse, after the authorities issued a brief warning warning of the danger.
In this context, the Saudi Civil Defense explained, via the “X” platform, that the National Emergency Early Warning Platform had been activated in the city of Riyadh to warn of the danger, and minutes later it issued a second report announcing that the danger had completely disappeared from the capital.
These developments come in light of an unprecedented Houthi escalation that targeted the Kingdom this month, and included several strikes on Riyadh Airport, one of which on October 10 resulted in the killing of 13 people and the injury of more than 300 others. In total, the number of deaths as a result of the attacks that targeted Saudi airports since the beginning of the month reached 20 people.
These renewed hostilities come against the backdrop of simmering tension in the Middle East, coinciding with the collapse of the truce that had been in effect in Yemen since 2022.
