Saudi coalition intercepts drone over Eastern Province after fresh Houthi claim on Riyadh airport

The Saudi-led coalition said early on Thursday, 15 October, that it had intercepted and destroyed a drone over Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, hours after Yemen’s Houthi group claimed it had fired another ballistic missile at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, according to Arab Times and The National.

Coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki announced the interception but did not give details of the drone’s origin or target, Arab Times reported. The Houthis did not report casualties or damage from their claimed strike on the airport, the report added.

Fresh claims and interceptions on 14 October

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement on X on Wednesday evening that the group had fired a ballistic missile at the Riyadh airport and three more ballistic missiles at Saudi-backed Yemeni forces in Lahj province, The Nation reported. The claims were not independently verified.

• The coalition said it intercepted two drones, four cruise missiles and one ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh, a ballistic missile aimed at Dhahran and a cruise missile aimed at Al-Kharj, according to an Associated Press report carried by ETV Bharat.
• Saudi civil defence said debris from an intercepted strike injured one person in Riyadh, the AP report said. The National also reported one person injured by shrapnel in Riyadh.
• Saudi civil defence issued alerts for Riyadh and Al-Kharj governorate before declaring the danger had passed, Al Jazeera reported.

Regional officials told AP that Saudi Arabia was running low on interceptors. Aviation analytics firm Cirium reported more than 3,000 flights cancelled or not operating in the past week, according to the same report.

Strikes in Yemen and talk of mediation

Sarea said the coalition had carried out 42 strikes on what he called civilian facilities in Sanaa and other provinces, The Nation reported. Majid Al-Nuzaili, spokesperson for Yemen’s government forces, claimed about 1,250 Houthi fighters had been killed in operations; figures from both sides have not been independently verified.

Houthi political bureau member Mohamed al-Bukhaiti told AP that Oman had tried to bring both sides back to talks, and that the group would welcome mediation that ends the war and the blockade rather than a temporary truce. United States President Donald Trump is evaluating whether the US should join Saudi strikes, the AP report said.

Flights between India and Saudi Arabia

Indian carriers have suspended several Saudi services. IndiGo and Akasa Air services, including to Jeddah, are suspended until 17 October, according to Malayalam outlets MediaOne and Suprabhaatham. The two reports differ on Air India’s schedule: MediaOne, citing the Indian Embassy, said Air India and Air India Express Jeddah services were suspended until Saturday, while Suprabhaatham said Air India services were suspended through 15 October. Umrah pilgrims returning to India have been among those affected, both outlets reported.

The Indian Embassy has advised Indian nationals in Saudi Arabia to stay alert, follow local authorities’ instructions and confirm flight details with airlines before travelling, and the Indian Consulate has opened a 24-hour control room, according to the reports.

Sources: The National, Arab Times, ETV Bharat (AP), The Nation, Al Jazeera, MediaOne, Suprabhaatham