Houthis Launch Ballistic Missiles on Saudi Arabia's Taif and Yanbu

Saudi Arabia intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Thursday, thwarting attacks on the southern province of Taif and Yanbu area on the Red Sea.

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said that it was not clear whether there was any damage or casualties in either Taif and Yanbu, which is a key alternative route for Saudi oil exports. The main port at Yanbu is critical to Saudi crude shipments when the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted.

The attack on Yanbu comes after an improvement in prospects for oil exports to resume from the terminal there. Operations had restarted on the East-West pipeline, which was shut down on September 11 due to drone attacks blamed on Iraqi militia by Riyadh.

The Houthis have largely targeted southern areas of Saudi Arabia, but Thursday's attack marked a shift northwards towards Yanbu and other regions. The rebels stepped up attacks on the kingdom after declaring a naval blockade against it in July, a second theatre for the US-Iran war.