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November 7, 2026

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The Kaaba in the Grand Mosque of Makkah
World

Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia Escalate as Missiles Target Riyadh, Makkah and Najran

Faizan Altaf

Saudi Arabia’s air defences shot down a Houthi cruise missile heading for the capital, Riyadh, on Saturday, in the latest strike in a week of attacks that have also targeted the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah and the border province of Najran.

The Saudi-led coalition said the cruise missile was “intercepted and destroyed”. It came a day after two ballistic missiles aimed at Najran and a drone over the Makkah region were also shot down. No casualties were reported from any of the interceptions, but the attacks mark a sharp escalation in the Houthis’ air campaign against the Kingdom — and a direct test of the defence pact that binds Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye together.

Here is what happened, why the Houthis are attacking, and what it means for Pakistan.

What happened on Friday and Saturday

The busiest day so far was Friday, 6 November. In the morning, the coalition said its air defences intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched towards Najran, a province in south-western Saudi Arabia that borders Yemen. Debris fell after the interceptions, and the authorities said they were assessing the damage.

A few hours later, the coalition said a drone had been intercepted and destroyed over the Makkah region, home to Islam’s holiest city. The coalition did not name who launched the drone, but the Houthis are the only group with a record of striking that far inside Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Civil Defence issued an early warning in Najran, telling residents to take shelter, and later announced that the danger had passed.

The attacks did not stop there. Late on Friday, another drone was intercepted and destroyed. Then on Saturday, the coalition said its air defences had shot down a Houthi cruise missile targeting Riyadh. Coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki announced the interception in a post on social media. Saudi Civil Defence also warned of possible danger in Jizan City on Saturday afternoon, but lifted the warning shortly afterwards.

In short, within about 36 hours, Saudi defences faced two ballistic missiles, at least two drones and a cruise missile — aimed at four different parts of the country, from the Yemeni border to the capital.

A week of attacks on the holy cities

The weekend’s strikes were not the first of the week. They followed a pattern that has been building for days:

  • Wednesday, 4 November: the coalition said it intercepted three drones over the Makkah region.
  • Thursday, 5 November: the coalition said it intercepted a ballistic missile aimed at the Medina region, home to Islam’s second-holiest city. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree denied that announcement.
  • Friday, 6 November: two ballistic missiles aimed at Najran and a drone over the Makkah region were intercepted.
  • Saturday, 7 November: a cruise missile aimed at Riyadh was intercepted, and a warning was briefly issued in Jizan.

That is at least seven incoming weapons in four days, aimed at Makkah, Madinah, Najran, Riyadh and Jizan — the holy cities in the west, the oil and industrial centres in the east, and the border provinces in the south.

The Houthis have consistently denied that they target Makkah and Madinah. But according to the Institute for the Study of War, which tracks the conflict daily, the group had not denied the most recent attacks as of Friday. Saudi air defences have repeatedly intercepted missiles and drones near the holy cities in recent weeks.

Who are the Houthis, and what do they want?

The Houthis are an armed group from Yemen, the country on Saudi Arabia’s southern border. They control the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen, and they have been fighting a long war against Yemen’s Saudi-backed government.

The Houthis are backed by Iran, and their missile and drone campaign against Saudi Arabia is part of that wider war. According to the Institute for the Study of War, the group has repeatedly targeted Saudi infrastructure to pressure Riyadh to end its military operations in Yemen and accept Houthi demands, including lifting Saudi controls that the group opposes.

The campaign has grown more intense in recent weeks. Earlier attacks on airports in Riyadh and Abha killed 12 people and injured 309 others, according to remarks by Pakistan’s prime minister reported in October. That is why this week’s interceptions matter even though no one was hurt: the same kind of weapons have killed people before, and the defences have to work every single time.

The attacks are also part of a much bigger regional picture. The war between the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other, which began in February, is still going on. On Friday, the United States confirmed it had carried out limited strikes on an Iranian air-defence system on Qeshm Island, in the Strait of Hormuz. The Houthis are Iran’s allies, and their attacks on Saudi Arabia add another front to an already crowded war.

Why this matters for Pakistan

For Pakistan, these attacks are not a faraway story. There are three direct reasons to pay attention.

First, the holy cities. Makkah and Madinah are the holiest places in Islam, and Pakistan is home to one of the world’s largest Muslim populations. Every year, huge numbers of Pakistanis travel to Saudi Arabia for Hajj and Umrah. A drone over Makkah or a missile aimed at Madinah is an attack on places that matter deeply to millions of Pakistanis.

Second, the defence pact. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a bilateral mutual defence pact in September 2026, under which an attack on either country is treated as an attack on both. In August 2026, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye went further and signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, a trilateral pact with the same promise: an armed attack on one member is an attack on all three. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have both ratified the agreement, and Türkiye’s parliament ratified it this week.

The pact is already in play. The three countries held an emergency meeting of their joint defence committee on 5 October and agreed to deploy military forces and capabilities to Saudi Arabia rapidly in an emergency. Pakistan’s military spokesman, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, said in October that Pakistan was providing “whatever support is needed” to defend Saudi Arabia, and reports said Pakistani forces had already been deployed to the Kingdom under the agreement. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has pledged to support Saudi Arabia “in every possible way”.

Third, people. Saudi Arabia hosts a large Pakistani workforce, and many Pakistani families depend on jobs there. Attacks on Saudi cities are therefore a direct worry for Pakistani workers and their families back home — as well as for Pakistan’s economy, which relies heavily on the money those workers send back.

The wider war in Yemen

The strikes on Saudi Arabia are one side of a war that is also raging inside Yemen itself. On Friday, Yemen’s Saudi-backed government said its army had recaptured several areas in the south-western province of Taiz, and accused the Houthis of firing a missile at a crowded market there that killed and wounded dozens of people.

Saudi Arabia has also rejected as “pure fabrication” a newspaper report about the Houthis’ demands in the conflict, underlining how far apart the two sides remain. There is no sign of a ceasefire, and neither side looks ready to back down.

The pattern of the last few days suggests the Houthis are trying to show they can reach every part of Saudi Arabia — the capital, the holy cities, the border and the south — even if the missiles and drones are being shot down. For Riyadh, each interception is a success for its air defences. But each attack is also a reminder that the defences have to succeed every time, while the attackers only need to get through once.

What happens next

Several things are worth watching in the coming days.

First, whether the Houthis claim responsibility for the latest attacks or keep denying them. Their silence so far is unusual, given their history of denying strikes on the holy cities.

Second, whether the attacks continue at the same pace. A week of near-daily strikes suggests a deliberate campaign rather than isolated incidents, and the coalition will be watching for the next launch.

Third, what Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye do next under their defence pact. The three countries have already agreed on rapid deployment of forces to the Kingdom. If the attacks continue, that commitment could be tested further — and Pakistan’s role in defending Saudi Arabia could become more visible.

Fourth, the diplomacy. Qatar has been mediating between the United States and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear programme, and reports say Iran is reviewing Qatari proposals. Any progress there could calm the region. But for now, the missiles are still flying.

For ordinary people in Saudi Arabia, the immediate message from the authorities is simple: the defences are working, the warnings are lifted quickly, and no one was hurt this week. The harder question — how to stop the attacks altogether — has no quick answer.

Frequently asked questions

Who are the Houthis?

The Houthis are an armed group from northern Yemen. They control the capital, Sanaa, and have fought Yemen’s Saudi-backed government for years. They are backed by Iran and have built up a large stock of missiles and drones, which they use to strike Saudi Arabia and ships in the Red Sea.

What is the difference between a ballistic missile and a cruise missile?

A ballistic missile is launched high into the air and then falls back down onto its target at very high speed, following a curved path. A cruise missile flies low and flat, like a small pilotless plane, and can change direction on the way to its target. Both are hard to stop, which is why Saudi Arabia uses layered air defences, including Patriot missile batteries, to intercept them.

Are Makkah and Madinah in danger?

The coalition says its air defences have intercepted every weapon aimed at the holy cities this week, and no casualties were reported. But the fact that drones and missiles keep being launched towards Makkah and Madinah is itself a serious escalation, and it is why the attacks have caused such alarm across the Muslim world.

What does the Makkah defence pact mean for Pakistan?

Under the pact signed in August 2026 by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, an armed attack on any one of the three countries is treated as an attack on all of them. Pakistan has already ratified the agreement, and its military has said it is providing “whatever support is needed” to defend Saudi Arabia. In practice, that means Pakistan is now formally committed to helping defend the Kingdom if the attacks continue or escalate.

Has anyone been hurt in this week’s attacks?

No casualties were reported from the interceptions between Wednesday and Saturday. Debris fell after some of the interceptions, and the authorities said they were assessing the damage. Earlier Houthi attacks on airports in Riyadh and Abha killed 12 people and injured 309 others.

Conclusion

A week of Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia — aimed at Riyadh, Makkah, Madinah, Najran and Jizan — has ended with every weapon intercepted and no one hurt. That is a success for Saudi air defences, but it is also a warning.

The Houthis have shown they can reach every corner of the Kingdom, including Islam’s holiest cities. The attacks put new pressure on the defence pact between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye, which promises that an attack on one is an attack on all. And they come at a moment when the wider Middle East war is still burning, with no ceasefire in sight.

For Pakistan, the stakes are direct: the safety of the holy cities, the security of hundreds of thousands of its citizens working in Saudi Arabia, and a defence commitment that has already been activated. What happens next in the skies over Saudi Arabia will be felt in Islamabad too.

Sources

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.

Faizan Altaf

Faizan Altaf is the founder and author of findivoza.com, a news blog covering world, Pakistan, business, technology, health and sport in plain English. He writes for general readers who want clear, trustworthy news without jargon. His work focuses on explaining what happened, why it matters, and what to watch next.

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