Houthis Claim Six Strikes on Saudi Oil Sites, Riyadh Airport

Yemen’s Houthi group said on Saturday that it carried out six missile and drone operations against Saudi Arabia, targeting oil facilities and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the attacks, which used ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones, were launched in response to Saudi aggression against Yemen. His claims have not been independently verified, and Saudi authorities have not confirmed the strikes or any damage.

WHAT THE HOUTHIS CLAIM

Saree listed the operations one by one:

The first, he said, hit King Khalid International Airport, oil storage tanks and an Aramco distillation tower in Riyadh and “successfully achieved its objective.” The second targeted Aramco facilities in Khurais, and the third struck Pumping Station No. 8 in the Dawadmi area.

The fourth, he said, targeted Saudi military concentrations at a National Guard camp in Najran, and the fifth hit troop positions east of Al-Jawf governorate in three stages. The sixth targeted troop concentrations east of the Raghwah and Madghal districts in Marib governorate, under a Saudi officer he named as Fares Al-Shammari, “leaving a large number of dead and wounded among their ranks.” No casualty figures have been confirmed.

“DOZENS OF CIVILIANS DEAD”

In a separate post on X, Saree alleged that Saudi Arabia carried out 105 air and missile strikes on Yemen over the previous 24 hours, hitting areas in Sanaa and the governorates of Al-Jawf, Taiz, Amran, Hajjah, Saada, Marib and Lahj.

“These attacks left dozens of civilians dead and wounded, most of them women and children,” he said, putting the total number of Saudi strikes since the escalation began at 4,369.

Houthi-run media and the Houthi-run health ministry said Saudi-led coalition air strikes on a village near Sanaa killed 25 people, including children, the Associated Press reported. Al-Masirah TV earlier put the toll at 22.

Saree threatened to widen the campaign. “We will continue our operations deep inside Saudi territory, imposing the equation of blockade for blockade and escalation for escalation,” he said.

YEMEN’S GOVERNMENT TURNS TO LEBANON

Separately, Yemen’s internationally recognised government has asked Lebanon to act against Hezbollah’s alleged military help to the Houthis. Foreign Minister Afrah Al-Zouba called for cooperation between the two countries’ security and intelligence agencies to stop further support for Houthi operations.

HOW THE ESCALATION BEGAN

The exchange is part of a sharp escalation in recent months, in which airports and oil facilities have been the main targets inside Saudi Arabia. On October 10, a missile strike on King Khalid International Airport killed 12 people and injured 309, according to Saudi aviation authorities.

Saudi Arabia vowed to retaliate “firmly,” and the Houthis claimed fresh attacks on the airport the next day, along with an Aramco refinery in Rabigh on the Red Sea coast. The Saudi-led coalition has been at war with the Houthis since it intervened in 2015 after they took control of Sanaa.

With inputs from ANI