The Royal Saudi Air Defense Force (RSADF) has foiled a missile strike on the western Saudi city of Yanbu, the Saudi-led coalition announced.
Col. Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the coalition, said that the RSADF successfully intercepted in the early hours of February 21 several “ballistic missiles,” which were launched by the Yemeni Houthi group.
“These missiles were launched in a deliberate and systematic manner to target cities and civilians, which is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law,” the spokesman said.
Saudi activists released several videos showing what appears to be Patriot missiles intercepting several aerial objects over Yanbu. Several explosions were reported in the city.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE-Mh_Zg7w0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBoDYmBUbLE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1VxhT4_rcs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xkun7u3tH8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYW6RPZq1zk
Yanbu is located on Saudi Arabia’s western coast, more than 900 km away from Houthi-held areas in northern Yemen. The city is an important petroleum shipping terminal and is home to three oil refineries, a plastics facility and several other petrochemical plants.
The Houthis said that they will announce a “major operation” inside Saudi Arabia in the upcoming few hours, without providing any further details.
Over the last few years, the Houthis carried out dozens of strikes on key Saudi military bases and industrial facilities. Some of the attacks, like the 2019 Abqaiq–Khurais attack, resulted in significant damage.
