General view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia says kindergarten, medical complex damaged by interception debris in Riyadh
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
The Saudi civil defence agency said a kindergarten and a medical complex in Riyadh were damaged by debris from a missile interception on Thursday, after Yemen's Houthis said they had targeted the capital's airport.
Saudi Arabia leads a pro-government coalition fighting against the Houthis in Yemen's civil war, and the Iran-backed group has repeatedly targeted Riyadh since the conflict roared back to life, vowing to hit critical infrastructure and disrupt Saudi airspace.
The conflict in Yemen had lain dormant since 2022 but erupted again in July, and the scale and frequency of the attacks on the Saudi capital since then have been unprecedented in the eight months of wider war in the Middle East.
Riyadh's airport has been repeatedly targeted by the Houthis in recent days as the group ramps up its attacks on the Kingdom.
On Thursday the group warned workers to evacuate Saudi Arabia's oil facilities, having days before hit a major refinery south of the capital.
Around the same time, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said it had intercepted two missiles fired towards Riyadh.
Shortly after, the Kingdom's civil defence agency said "interception debris" had damaged a kindergarten and a medical complex in the city.
It did not say if there were any casualties or provide details of the damage.
Shelter in place
After resuming their fight against Yemen's internationally recognised government, the Houthis last month seized all of the country's Red Sea coast in a lightning offensive.
The group had already controlled the capital Sanaa and most of Yemen's major population centres since the start of the war in 2014. Riyadh's military coalition intervened to support the government the following year.
A campaign by the Saudi interior ministry has repeatedly warned residents against sharing unauthorised information, images or footage of missiles, drones and their impacts, warning that violators could face legal consequences.
Numerous flights at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport were delayed or cancelled, according to information posted on signage at the facility.
The airport was yet to acknowledge any disruption, pointing only in a short statement to the "necessity" of contacting airlines before travelling.
