Coalition intercepts Houthi ballistic and cruise missiles and drones between 11 and 13 November; debris falls on Sabuhah village in Makkah Region
The Saudi-led Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen announced a new series of interceptions between the evening of Wednesday, 11 November 2026, and the early hours of Friday, 13 November. The operations involved ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and unmanned aircraft launched toward the Riyadh, Makkah, southern and Eastern regions, while Saudi Civil Defense confirmed that debris from two ballistic missiles fell on the village of Sabuhah in the Makkah Region after the missiles were intercepted.
Wednesday and Thursday tallies according to coalition figures
According to Saudi Gazette, citing figures from Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Malki, Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed nine threats between Wednesday and Thursday: two ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four unmanned aircraft, aimed at the Riyadh, Makkah, southern and Eastern regions. The announcements were as follows:
- Wednesday evening: three cruise missiles launched toward the Riyadh region were intercepted and destroyed.
- Wednesday evening: two unmanned aircraft heading toward the Makkah Region and the southern region were intercepted and destroyed.
- Wednesday night: two ballistic missiles launched toward the western region were intercepted and destroyed.
- Thursday dawn: an unmanned aircraft was intercepted and destroyed in the Eastern Province.
- Thursday morning: an unmanned aircraft was intercepted and destroyed in the Riyadh region.
In a separate Thursday tally, Xinhua reported that the coalition announced the interception and destruction of four unmanned aircraft in the Riyadh and Eastern regions (two in each). Xinhua said the figures explicitly attributed one of the aircraft intercepted over Riyadh to the Houthi group, without identifying who launched the other three. This tally may overlap in part with the earlier figures, as the coalition has not issued a single official combined total for the period.
A further unmanned aircraft at dawn on Friday
In the latest announcement, Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Malki said at dawn on Friday, 13 November, according to the newspaper Okaz, that an unmanned aircraft had been intercepted and destroyed in the Eastern Province, a report also carried by Pakistan’s Dawn. The statement gave no details on the intended target or on any damage.
Debris on the village of Sabuhah in the Makkah Region
Saudi Civil Defense said, in a statement published by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), that it had “responded to the fall of debris from two ballistic missiles after they were intercepted and destroyed, launched by the Houthi terrorist militia toward the Makkah Region, including debris on the village of Sabuhah.” A Civil Defense spokesman described the targeting as “a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.” The statement did not say whether the debris had caused casualties or material damage.
This is not the first time the coalition has announced threats toward the Makkah Region. It previously intercepted an unmanned aircraft in the Makkah Region in early November, and announced the interception of a ballistic missile toward the Madinah Region on 5 November, as well as interceptions over Riyadh that included six missiles and an unmanned aircraft on 8 November and a ballistic missile and a cruise missile on 10 November.
The Houthis claim attacks and deny targeting Makkah
For their part, Al Jazeera quoted Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree as claiming strikes on oil and military facilities in the Kingdom, including a pumping station on the East–West pipeline, the Yanbu oil facility, a military cargo aircraft at Sharurah airport, the Khamis Mushait airbase and the Aramco headquarters in Riyadh. Saree rejected what he called a “false claim” that the group had targeted the Makkah Region. These claims could not be independently verified, and the coalition has not confirmed that any of those targets were hit.
The Security Council extends Yemen sanctions
The developments coincided with a unanimous UN Security Council vote on Thursday to extend the Yemen sanctions regime for a further year, including the asset freeze and travel ban, and to extend the mandate of the Panel of Experts. The resolution, according to the Council’s statement, condemned the Houthis’ military escalation, their maritime and cross-border attacks against Saudi Arabia, and their threats to commercial shipping.
What this wave means for Saudi air defence
The mix of threats over two days — ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and unmanned aircraft — underlines the continuing pressure on the Kingdom’s layered air-defence system, which relies on systems such as Patriot as well as shorter-range means against drones. For more on the interceptor missiles used in the region, see: Patriot PAC-2 GEM-T or PAC-3 MSE? The difference between the two interceptors in Gulf inventories. The coalition has also previously announced the destruction of Houthi facilities producing ballistic-missile components in an effort to reduce launch capacity at source.
Frequently asked questions
Where did missile debris fall in the Makkah Region?
According to Saudi Civil Defense, via SPA, debris from two ballistic missiles fell on the village of Sabuhah in the Makkah Region after the missiles were intercepted. No casualties have been announced so far.
How many threats did the coalition intercept between Wednesday and Thursday?
According to Saudi Gazette’s tally of coalition figures: nine threats (two ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four unmanned aircraft), followed by an additional unmanned aircraft in the Eastern Province at dawn on Friday, 13 November.
Did the Houthis acknowledge targeting Makkah?
No. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree denied that the Makkah Region had been targeted, while claiming attacks on other oil and military facilities that the coalition has not confirmed.
Sources
- Saudi Gazette — Saudi air defenses intercept 9 missiles and drones as debris falls in Makkah Region (12 November 2026)
- Saudi Press Agency (SPA) — Civil Defense: debris from two ballistic missiles fell after they were intercepted and destroyed… including debris on the village of Sabuhah
- CNN Arabic — Saudi Arabia: debris from two “Houthi” missiles fell in the Makkah Region after interception (12 November 2026)
- Xinhua Arabic — Coalition announces interception and destruction of 4 unmanned aircraft in Riyadh and the Eastern Province
- Okaz — Coalition: an unmanned aircraft intercepted and destroyed in the Eastern Province (13 November 2026)
- Dawn — Saudi-led coalition says drone intercepted, destroyed in kingdom’s eastern region (13 November 2026)
- Al Jazeera — Yemen’s Houthis renew strikes on Saudi Arabia as UNSC extends sanctions (12 November 2026)
- Gerasa News — Saudi Arabia… two ballistic missiles and two unmanned aircraft launched by the Houthis destroyed
