Houthis said they struck Riyadh with missiles and drones, for the first time since the start of the current escalation of the conflict. Several hours earlier, fire and smoke were spotted near the main airport of the Saudi capital, and authorities sent out warnings about a possible security threat in the city area.
On Saturday, the Houthis said they had struck “sensitive”, that is, strategically important, targets in Riyadh. This was the first confirmed strike on the capital of Saudi Arabia since the start of the current escalation of the conflict.
Several hours earlier, fire and smoke were spotted in the area of Riyadh’s main airport. Footage from witnesses shows a large column of smoke near the highway by the airport, near the terminal building and other structures; the videos also show fuel tanks burning.
In the same statement, the Houthis said they had struck a Saudi Aramco facility in the city of Yanbu on the Red Sea. The city is considered a key center for Saudi oil exports.
The group says the operation was a response to an attack on Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. The Iran-backed Houthis have repeatedly carried out attacks on Saudi Arabia since July, and earlier struck energy facilities, including pumping stations on the East-West pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina areas, complicating the supply of Saudi oil to the global market.
The Saudi-led coalition said that on Saturday morning its air defense systems destroyed a missile launched toward Riyadh. It also said it had thwarted attacks on Bish and Farasan in the southwest of the kingdom, Taif in the west, and Yanbu; the coalition did not report any damage.
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