Houthis claim strikes on Riyadh and Yanbu; Saudi coalition says missile intercepted
Riyadh/Sanaa: Yemen’s Houthi group has claimed large-scale missile and drone attacks on the Saudi capital Riyadh and the Red Sea port city of Yanbu, in what it described as a major escalation against Saudi Arabia, while the Saudi-led coalition said its air defences intercepted a ballistic missile targeting Riyadh and foiled other attempts.
In a statement carried by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the operations involved “a large number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones”, with one targeting “sensitive sites” in Riyadh and another striking a facility belonging to state oil giant Aramco in Yanbu. Sarea claimed both operations were “successful” and said large fires broke out at the targeted locations.
The claim came after residents in Riyadh reported hearing explosions twice on Saturday, with smoke seen rising near King Khalid International Airport following the second incident and some flights delayed. Saudi authorities earlier issued an aerial threat alert for the capital before announcing that the danger had passed, in what was reported as the first such alert for Riyadh since tensions with the Houthis intensified in recent weeks.
In a subsequent statement, the Saudi-led coalition said its air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh and thwarted attacks on Baish, Taif, Farasan and Yanbu. Coalition spokesperson Major-General Turki Al-Maliki accused the Houthis of deliberately targeting “civilians and civilian objects” and warned of “appropriate measures” to deter further strikes.
Sarea denied that the group deliberately targeted civilians, saying the Riyadh operations were retaliation for intensified Saudi airstrikes on Houthi-held areas in Yemen. He warned that the Houthis would continue retaliatory operations under an “escalation for escalation” strategy until Saudi airstrikes stop and restrictions on Yemen are lifted.
The latest round of hostilities began in mid-July when the Yemeni Armed Forces struck Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport to prevent an Iranian passenger plane carrying a senior Houthi delegation from landing, an attack the Houthis blamed on Saudi Arabia. The group soon responded with ballistic missile and drone strikes and on July 20 announced a ban on Saudi shipping through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, since then claiming a series of attacks on Saudi tankers and oil facilities.
Yemen’s conflict erupted in late 2014 when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of the north, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognised government.
(Inputs from IANS)