Saudi Arabia intercepted and destroyed four ballistic missiles that were launched toward Riyadh on Wednesday, the Defence Ministry said, just ahead of a meeting of regional and Islamic foreign ministers in the Saudi capital.
Smoke rises above Riyadh, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, March 5, 2026. Reuters
Saudi Arabia intercepted and destroyed four ballistic missiles that were launched toward Riyadh on Wednesday, the Defence Ministry said, just ahead of a meeting of regional and Islamic foreign ministers in the Saudi capital.
"Scattered debris fell across various areas of the capital, with initial assessments indicating no casualties or damage," the ministry said.
Several loud booms were heard and some of the city's residents received phone alerts for the first time warning them of a hostile aerial threat.
Saudi air defences dealt with a "ballistic threat" in Riyadh on Wednesday, state TV said earlier.
The Gulf kingdom has come under attack from hundreds of Iranian missiles and drones since the U.S-Israeli war on Iran began last month, the vast majority of which authorities say have been intercepted.
But Wednesday's attack marked the first time many in the city had heard blasts or received a warning.
Two witnesses said they saw what appeared to be missile interceptions on the city's western edge, near the Diplomatic Quarter housing foreign missions.
The attack came hours before Saudi Arabia was set to host a consultative meeting of foreign ministers from a number of Arab and Islamic countries to discuss ways to support regional security and stability amid the Iran war.
There are scant signs of de-escalation nearly three weeks into the war, which has engulfed the region and caused unprecedented disruption to global energy supplies.
A Turkish diplomatic source said that representatives from Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Qatar, Syria, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates would attend the meeting.
By Talal Al Ghanim
Iran has warned the United States that it would respond forcefully to an Israeli offensive on a mountainous ridge in southern Lebanon where Iranian military personnel are holed up alongside Hezbollah fighters, three officials briefed on the message told Reuters.
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the renewed U.S. campaign against Iran would not continue for "too long" after the biggest exchange of fire between Tehran and Washington since July.
Top aides to President Donald Trump are pushing to keep the Iran war from escalating before November's midterm elections to staunch Republican electoral losses, four people familiar with the discussions said, a strategy already under strain as the U.S. and Iran exchanged back-and-forth attacks overnight.
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