The Houthis said that the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out today coordinated attacks that hit facilities of the state oil company Saudi Aramco in Yanbu, an important hub for oil exports in the Red Sea, as well as “sensitive targets” in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
According to a statement from the official spokesperson of the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, released by the Houthis’ channels on Telegram, the operations involved ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones. The rebel group commands part of the Armed Forces and the territory of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa.
Yahya Saree stated that the actions caused “large fires.” Hours earlier, Saudi Civil Defense issued alerts of possible aerial threats in Riyadh and other regions of the country – the first alerts of this kind in the capital since the latest escalation of clashes with the Houthis. Explosions were heard in Riyadh, and images from international agencies showed flames and a column of smoke near the city’s main airport. The Saudi government did not immediately report the cause.
Yanbu plays an important role in Saudi oil exports as the destination of the East-West pipeline, which crosses the country and allows oil from the eastern fields to be carried to the Red Sea, without passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The terminal had already been experiencing disrupted operations after drone attacks damaged the pipeline last week.
The pipeline typically carries around 4 million barrels per day, a substantial portion of the global oil supply. After the damages, Saudi Arabia canceled some shipments destined for Europe and suspended shipments at the Yanbu port, according to industry sources cited by Reuters.
The Houthis said that the operations were also a response to the Saudi accusation that the group had tried to attack Mecca this week and to the Saudi bombardments against Yemen. The Houthis deny having targeted the holy city.
*With information from the Associated Press
*This content was translated with the aid of Artificial Intelligence tools and reviewed by the Estadão editorial team. Learn more in our AI Policy.
