Houthi Drones Aimed at Riyadh as Pact Allies Meet in the Capital
The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted two ballistic missiles heading for Khamis Mushait and two drones heading for Riyadh in the early hours. Civil defence had issued overnight alerts for Khamis Mushait and Abha, but not for the capital. Hours earlier the chiefs of staff of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey had met in Riyadh to review the threat, discussing intelligence sharing, military coordination and integrating their forces under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement.
An attack on the capital while three general staffs sit in it is either poor Houthi timing or precise Houthi messaging. The pact, signed last month, holds that an armed attack on one member is an attack on all, and Saudi Arabia’s defence minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said he had affirmed with Pakistan’s army chief “continued joint efforts to confront attacks against the kingdom” under it. The direction of travel is what matters: talk has moved from consultation to integrating forces in under a week. The Houthis have struck at Saudi Arabia since declaring a naval blockade in July and this month seized Red Sea coastline including Mokha, which overlooks Bab al-Mandab. Watch whether anything is actually committed.