RIYADH — The Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes on Houthi military positions in Sanaa and northern Yemen on Saturday, targeting drone launch sites, missile depots and command facilities in Houthi-controlled territory.

The coalition, formally the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, described the operation as a response to repeated attempts to disrupt civilian air traffic over Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities reported that air operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh had faced intermittent disruption during October after more than 20 attacks on the facility this month.

The escalation follows a sharp rise in Houthi attacks. A Houthi military spokesperson said earlier this week that Saudi airspace and airports had been targeted repeatedly, while the coalition reported intercepting a drone over Khamis Mushait. On Thursday, the Houthis fired missiles at the presidential palace in Aden, the seat of Yemen's internationally recognised government.

The Houthi-run health ministry in Sanaa reported casualties from Saturday's strikes, though the figures could not be independently verified.

The renewed exchanges threaten the fragile lull that followed earlier United Nations-brokered truce efforts. A spokesperson for the office of the UN special envoy for Yemen called for immediate de-escalation and urged both sides to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.