2 drones down, and no capital alert
The Saudi-led coalition wrote on X early Saturday that it had intercepted 2 ballistic missiles and 2 drones launched by the Houthis. The missiles were heading for Khamis Mushait and the drones for Riyadh. The post gave no further detail.[1]
The same night's civil defence alerts were for Khamis Mushait and Abha. None was announced for Riyadh. The named target and the place announced to the public are not the same point.[1]
Partners in Riyadh the same morning
Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, in Riyadh early Saturday. The subject was attacks on the kingdom under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement that Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed last month. The pact treats an armed attack on any of the three as an attack on all. Hours earlier the three countries' military chiefs had reviewed the threats, again in Riyadh.[1]
The meeting counts partners. It does not show how many interceptors were ready, or whether the 2 drones were destroyed before a capital alert was required. The drones may also have been engaged far from the city, in which case the missing capital alert is procedure, not a gap.[1]
The next sign that can be counted
The next sign that can be counted is a coalition post that names Riyadh together with a civil defence alert for the capital, or southern alerts that continue without one. Gulf Cooperation Council secretary general Jasem Al Budaiwi condemned Riyadh and Khamis Mushait together. The condemnation does not change which city had an alert.[1]