Saudi says kindergarten, medical complex damaged by interception debris in Riyadh

Saudi Arabia's civil defence agency said on Thursday that a kindergarten and medical complex in Riyadh were damaged by shrapnel from an intercepted missile, hours after explosions rattled the Saudi capital.

"Missile fragments fell in Riyadh after a ballistic missile was intercepted, causing material damage to a kindergarten and a medical clinic complex," a statement posted by the agency on X read, without specifying if there were any casualties.

The Houthis have repeatedly targeted Riyadh, which leads a pro-government coalition fighting the Iran-backed group in Yemen's civil war, vowing to hit critical infrastructure and disrupt Saudi airspace as their conflict escalates.

Admissions by Saudi authorities of strikes hitting civilian structures are relatively rare, with officials issuing just few statements in recent weeks on the fallout from Houthi attacks.

The scale and frequency of attacks targeting the capital are unprecedented in the eight months of conflict that has spread across the Middle East.

They come as Saudi Arabia has been drawn deeper into the conflict in Yemen, which flared back to life in July, with both the kingdom and the Houthis signalling a willingness to keep fighting rather than pursue a diplomatic solution. 

Agence France-Presse