Saudi Defense Ministry issued a notice on the morning of May 1, local time, said that Saudi air defense forces in the early hours of the same day successfully intercepted a “hostile air target” fired at the western city of Jeddah. The circular did not specify whether the “air target” was a drone or a missile, nor did it give details such as where it was launched or where it was intercepted.
Earlier, on April 28, Saudi air defenses shot down a drone carrying explosives in the southern part of the country, and Yemen’s Houthi forces claimed responsibility for the drone attack.
Jeddah is the largest city in western Saudi Arabia and an important economic and financial center and hub for air and sea transportation, more than 800 km from the Saudi-Yemeni border. In November 2020, a crude oil storage facility north of Jeddah was hit by a missile fired by Houthi forces, causing a fire at the storage facility but causing no casualties.
