Houthis claim attacks on Aramco, Riyadh airport in wave of strikes on Saudi Arabia

The Houthis claimed attack on Saudi oil facilities, Riyadh airport and troop positions, and said they would continue responding to Saudi military action, warning that Saudi Arabia would face further attacks.The Houthi military spokesman said the first Houthi operation targeted Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. (File Photo: Reuters)A fresh escalation between Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia has pushed the conflict beyond Yemen’s front lines, with both sides reporting attacks and casualties. The Houthis have now claimed responsibility for six military operations targeting Saudi oil infrastructure, an airport and troop positions.In a statement, Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said the attacks were carried out using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones in retaliation for what the group called deadly Saudi strikes on civilians in Taiz and Bani Hashish.Saree said the first operation targeted Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, along with Aramco oil storage tanks and a distillation tower in the Saudi capital. He claimed the attack "successfully achieved its objective".HOUTHI ATTACKS TARGET ARAMCO, RIYADH AIRPORTThe Houthi military spokesman said the first Houthi operation targeted Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, along with Aramco oil storage tanks and a distillation tower in the Saudi capital. He claimed the operation "successfully achieved its objective". The second operation, according to the Houthi spokesman, targeted Aramco facilities in Khurais, a major oil-producing area in eastern Saudi Arabia.The third targeted Pumping Station No. 8 in the Dawadmi area, Saree said. The remaining three operations were directed at Saudi military personnel, according to the Houthi account. One attack targeted a Saudi National Guard camp in Najran, where Saree claimed there were a large number of casualties. Two other operations were reported in Yemen's Marib and Al-Jawf regions. Saree claimed the attacks struck Saudi troop concentrations operating in those areas and caused further casualties.The attack on Aramco is significant because the Saudi state oil giant operates some of the world's most important oil production and processing infrastructure. The Houthis have repeatedly threatened Saudi energy facilities during the wider Yemen conflict. Their attacks have previously targeted oil installations, airports and other infrastructure in the kingdom.By claiming attacks on both Aramco facilities and Riyadh's main international airport, the Houthis are portraying the latest operations as a coordinated strike against both Saudi economic infrastructure and military targets.HOUTHIS ACCUSE SAUDI ARABIA OF DEADLY AIRSTRIKESIn a separate post on X, Saree claimed Saudi forces had conducted 105 airstrikes and missile attacks over the previous 24 hours. He said the strikes hit areas including Sanaa, Al-Jawf, Taiz, Amran, Hajjah, Saada, Marib and Lahj.According to him, the attacks were carried out using F-15 and Typhoon fighter aircraft operating from the Khamis Mushait and Taif air bases, along with missiles launched from Najran and Jizan.He claimed dozens of civilians were killed or wounded, most of them women and children. Saree also said the latest attacks brought the total number of Saudi airstrikes and missile attacks since the latest escalation began to 4,369.Earlier in the day, airstrikes hit homes in a village near Yemen's capital, Sanaa, killing at least 25 people and injuring about 30 others, according to an AP report citing a spokesman for the Houthi-run Health Ministry.YEMEN FORCES CLAIM TO REPEL HOUTHI MOVEMENTSWhile the Houthis claimed to have carried out attacks deep inside Saudi Arabia and against Saudi-backed forces, Yemen's government forces said they were fighting Houthi movements on the ground. Yemeni government forces said they had repelled what they described as Houthi military movements over the previous few hours in the Seventh Military Region, on the northern front of Marib Governorate.In a statement, the government forces said they destroyed combat equipment and “neutralise[d]” groups they alleged had been deployed by the Houthis near the front lines.HOUTHIS VOW FURTHER ATTACKSSaree said the Houthis would continue targeting Saudi territory."We will continue our operations deep inside Saudi territory, imposing the equation of blockade for blockade and escalation for escalation, and targeting Saudi enemy troop concentrations and officers," he said.The statement framed the latest attacks as retaliation rather than an isolated operation. The Houthis said they would continue responding to Saudi military action and warned that Saudi Arabia would face further attacks.- EndsWith inputs from agencies