Saudi-led coalition intercepts a missile as fighting rages in Yemen’s al-Jawf

What the report says

The Saudi-led coalition said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile and earlier a drone aimed at Saudi Arabia’s southern region, as fighting continued in northern Yemen’s al-Jawf. The comments, reported by Al Jazeera on 2 Nov. 2026, came amid renewed clashes between Houthi fighters and forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

Al Jazeera also reported that Saudi Civil Defence briefly issued alerts for areas including Abha, Khamis Mushait, Taif and Najran before lifting them. At the same time, Houthi-affiliated media said seven people were wounded in coalition air strikes on Hodeidah on Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including injuries at Ras Isa port dock and at an oil company site in Bajil district. The coalition did not immediately comment on those claims.

In al-Jawf, Yemeni government forces said they were pressing an offensive to regain territory from the Iran-aligned Houthis. A military spokesman claimed large-scale operations had targeted Houthi fighters, positions and supplies over 24 hours, though Al Jazeera said it could not independently verify the figures. The article adds that operations were also under way in nearby Marib and al-Bayda.

The reporting places the latest fighting within Yemen’s wider war, where front lines have shifted repeatedly since the Houthis took Sanaa in 2014. It also highlights a worsening humanitarian toll in Taiz, where the Houthi siege has disrupted supplies of food, fuel and medicine, and officials say health services are under severe strain.