Missiles Hit Riyadh for the First Time — and Saudi Arabia Skipped Washington for Help

Supporters of the Houthi authorities brandish their weapons and hold placards showing the Kaaba and reading "For it, we willingly offer our souls" during a protest against the Saudi intervention in Yemen and against Saudi Arabia's recent accusation that the Houthis fired at the holy city of Mecca, in Sanaa on September 18, 2026. Houthi forces this week reported fresh Saudi airstrikes, as Riyadh accused the group of launching a "cowardly" attack targeting Islam's holy city of Mecca, prompting a wave of outrage from around the Muslim world. (Credit: Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP via Getty Images)

• ---

  Houthi forces fired a ballistic missile, cruise missiles and drones at Riyadh before dawn on September 19 — the first such attack on the Saudi capital since fighting with Saudi Arabia resumed in July. Saudi officials say air defenses intercepted the missile, with no casualties or damage reported.

• Running low on interceptor missiles, Saudi Arabia has asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt for air-defense help rather than leaning on the United States; Washington has offered intelligence support but has twice turned down direct-strike requests from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
• Oil prices spiked briefly after the strike but gave back the gains within a day, as data showed Saudi crude exports had climbed back above 4 million barrels daily in September — nearly double August's total.

  ---

Saudi Arabia's capital absorbed its first direct missile threat of the current conflict before sunrise on September 19, when Yemen's Houthi movement launched a ballistic missile, a barrage of cruise missiles and several drones toward Riyadh. The Saudi-led coalition says its air-defense network brought the ballistic missile down, but not before residents near King Khalid International Airport reported hearing an explosion and watched black smoke curl over the terminal approach.