Riyadh:Yemen's Houthi group announced on Saturday that it conducted seven military operations using ballistic missiles and drones targeting airports, oil facilities, and an air base across Saudi Arabia. This move was declared as retaliation for Saudi airstrikes on Yemen.
According to Anadolu Agency – English, the group claimed to have targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, as well as Saudi oil giant Aramco's facilities in Yanbu and the Rabigh oil refinery on the kingdom's western Red Sea coast. The attacks also reportedly targeted crude oil pumping stations and the East-West oil pipeline, which transports oil from eastern Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea.
The Houthis further claimed a precise attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, disrupting air traffic, and reported additional operations on Najran airport near the Yemeni border and the Khamis Mushait air base in the southwest. These actions were described as direct hits by the group.
The group stated these attacks were in response to Saudi airstrikes on Yemen, alleging that 100 strikes in the past 24 hours targeted civilian sites in Sanaa and other Houthi-controlled areas, causing casualties. Additionally, they accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out 3,123 airstrikes and missile attacks since the recent escalation.
Saudi Civil Defense reported intercepting two Houthi ballistic missiles aimed at the Mecca and Medina regions, with debris falling in four locations, including Mecca's Wadi al-Mughammas and Jeddah's al-Nuzha district. AlEkhbariya channel noted that missile fragments fell near the holy site of Arafat, close to the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree denied targeting these holy sites, stating the operations focused on oil facilities and military bases, with further details to be announced later.
Earlier, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen confirmed intercepting and destroying two Houthi ballistic missiles targeting Taif and Yanbu. The Houthis have maintained control over Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and other areas since 2014, with Saudi Arabia leading a military coalition against them since 2015. The recent hostilities resumed in July following the breakdown of a 2022 ceasefire.