Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saturday claimed they launched missiles and drones at "sensitive" sites in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh and an Aramco facility in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu, hours after flames and a huge plume of black smoke were seen near Riyadh's main airport.
The latest attacks have opened another front in the wider Middle East war that began with US and Israeli strikes against Iran at the end of February, with the Houthi-Saudi conflict adding pressure to an already volatile regional security situation
Saudi Arabia's military coalition said its air defences intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired towards Riyadh early on Saturday. Saudi authorities had issued overnight alerts warning residents of a potential aerial attack before giving an all-clear on Saturday morning.
The Iran-backed Houthis did not identify the sites they claimed to have targeted in Riyadh. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group had carried out two "significant military operations" using ballistic and cruise missiles and drones, claiming both had caused "massive fires".
There was no independent confirmation that Houthi weapons struck the sites in Riyadh. Reuters photographs and video showed a large pillar of black smoke rising near King Khalid International Airport, with flames visible behind what appeared to be fuel tanks. The exact cause of the fire was not immediately established.
SMOKE SEEN NEAR RIYADH AIRPORT
Saudi civil defence sent phone alerts overnight warning of possible aerial attacks in Riyadh and Al-Kharj, east of the capital. A Reuters journalist in Riyadh's Olaya district reported hearing booms before the all-clear was issued.
Reuters video and photographs showed a large pillar of black smoke near Riyadh's main airport, with the airport highway, terminal building and other facilities visible in the foreground. Flames were also seen rising from behind what appeared to be fuel tanks.
The Saudi-led coalition said it had also thwarted attacks targeting civilian infrastructure in Yanbu, Taif, Baysh and Farasan. It did not provide details of any damage from those attempted attacks. Saudi authorities reported no casualties or damage from the intercepted missile aimed at Riyadh
The alerts were the first issued in Riyadh since the latest Houthi escalation began in July, after years of relative calm following a 2022 truce.
HOUTHIS CLAIM 2 OPERATIONS
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the first operation targeted "sensitive targets" in Riyadh and the second targeted Saudi oil giant Aramco in Yanbu. "Both operations were crowned a success, resulting in massive fires at the targeted sites," he claimed.
Saree said the attacks were retaliation for what he described as continued Saudi airstrikes on Yemen.
He accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out "criminal" attacks in Sanaa and said Saudi F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets operating from Khamis Mushait and Taif had carried out 732 airstrikes, a figure that could not be independently verified.
Saudi Arabia has not accepted the Houthi characterisation of the attacks.
HOUTHIS CLAIMS SAUDI FIGHTER JET DOWNED
The latest escalation follows another significant development on Wednesday, when the Houthis claimed they had shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Yemen's Marib governorate using a locally made missile.
The group released footage and images that it said showed the aircraft being hit and its wreckage. Saudi Arabia has not confirmed the loss.
The aircraft was identified as an F-15SA Advanced Eagle, a Saudi-specific variant of the F-15. If confirmed, it would be the first combat loss of an Advanced Eagle variant.
The alleged shootdown came as Saudi warplanes intensified strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen. The Houthis have claimed repeated missile and drone attacks against Saudi targets in retaliation.
The latest attacks come after the Houthis made rapid territorial gains along Yemen's Red Sea coast, including the capture of the strategic port city of Mocha and positions near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The group has also reached Perim island, giving it a strategically important position near one of the world's busiest maritime chokepoints. The Bab el-Mandeb connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is crucial for shipping between Asia, Europe and the Mediterranean.
The developments have increased concerns over Saudi oil supplies and global energy markets, particularly as the wider regional war has disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Houthis have declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia and have targeted Saudi cities, energy infrastructure and shipping.
TURKEY OFFERS MILITARY SUPPORT
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Saudi Arabia could have military requirements because of the continuing Houthi attacks and that Turkey was ready to assist under a trilateral defence pact involving Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
Fidan said the assistance could include "some technical issues", although the precise nature of any Turkish support remained unclear.
The defence agreement, signed last month, states that an armed attack against any one of the three countries would be considered an attack against all.
WIDER REGIONAL WAR
The conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia has emerged as another theatre in the wider regional war that began with US and Israeli strikes against Iran at the end of February.
US President Donald Trump has rejected Saudi requests for direct US military intervention against the Houthis.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei said on Saturday that Tehran wanted the Saudi-Houthi war to end and believed Yemenis also wanted a settlement with Saudi Arabia.
Rezaei said Iran had conveyed conditions to mediators for resuming stalled negotiations with the United States, including an end to the war "on all fronts". Consultations with Qatari and Pakistani mediators were continuing, he said.
The UN Security Council has condemned continued Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, including strikes affecting civilian and energy infrastructure.
The latest fighting has opened another front in the wider Middle East conflict, with the Houthis threatening Saudi territory and operating near the Bab el-Mandeb while the Strait of Hormuz remains affected by the broader regional war.
Source: India Today