Saudi Arabia Destroys Five Drones Targeting Eastern Province and Medina
A Saudi-led coalition said its air defences intercepted and destroyed at least five drones launched towards the country on Wednesday (21 October), local time. The drones were detected heading towards Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province and the holy city of Medina.
“Four drones launched towards the Kingdom have been intercepted and destroyed,” coalition spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Maliki said in a statement on social media platform X, AFP reported on Wednesday (21 October 2026).
In a subsequent statement, Al-Maliki said the interceptions took place in the Eastern Province and Medina.
He later added that another drone had also been intercepted and destroyed in the Eastern Province on the same day.
Al-Maliki provided no further information about the source of the attacks or who was behind them.
However, Saudi Arabia has been repeatedly targeted this month by air attacks launched by the Iran-backed Houthi group, which is based in Yemen. Some of the Houthi attacks have hit civilian airports and oil facilities in Saudi territory.
The deadliest Houthi attack struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on 10–11 October, killing more than a dozen people and injuring hundreds.
Saudi Arabia was drawn into the conflict in Yemen, which flared up again last July after years of relative calm following a ceasefire agreed in 2022. Since then, Yemeni government forces have been engaged in fierce fighting with Houthi fighters in Yemen.
Yemeni government forces launched a large-scale military operation in early October aimed at recapturing areas controlled by the Houthis. The Saudi-led coalition has supported the government forces with air strikes targeting Houthi military facilities.
In response, the Houthis have launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi territory, including against civilian airports and oil facilities.
This week, the Houthis said Saudi airspace was unsafe, with the exception of Mecca and Medina, the holy cities of Islam.