Houthis say they attacked Aramco facility in Riyadh; Saudi‑led coalition denies it
Houthi spokesman reported missile and drone strikes on an Aramco site in Riyadh; the Saudi‑led coalition rejected the claim and said it carried out 97 precision operations in Yemen.
Houthi fighters said they struck an Aramco facility in Riyadh, a claim that comes amid a renewed cycle of attacks and counter‑strikes between the Iran‑aligned group and Yemen's internationally recognised government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia.
In a post on X on Saturday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sari said the group carried out a military operation using ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles directed at Aramco in Riyadh. Sari said the strikes were precise and direct and caused fires at the site.
On Saturday a large column of smoke and flames was seen near an Aramco installation in Riyadh.
Saudi‑led coalition rejects Houthi claim
Later on Saturday the spokesperson for the Saudi‑led coalition supporting the Yemeni government, Turki al‑Maliki, dismissed the Houthi account as untrue. He said, “The Houthi claims of an attack on Riyadh are false and are intended to mislead the public.”
Early on Sunday the Saudi coalition said its forces had carried out 97 precision targeted operations against Houthi reinforcements on the Tor al‑Baha front and along the Taiz axis, employing fighter jets, drones, artillery, rockets and snipers. Colonel Majed Abdullah al‑Nazili, the spokesperson for Yemen’s government forces, said the strikes were aimed at at least 260 Houthi fighters and that 44 military vehicles were destroyed or put out of action.
The announcement follows earlier Houthi claims at the end of last month of attacks on Aramco facilities in Yanbu on the Red Sea coast; Saudi authorities said they intercepted six ballistic missiles fired toward Taif and Yanbu and reported no damage to Aramco sites. The coalition also said the Houthis carried out an attack on a power plant in the holy city of Medina earlier this week, on Tuesday.
In mid‑September the Houthis seized the port town of Mokha and strategic islands in the Bab al‑Mandeb strait — a key route for global oil shipping — before rival forces managed to stabilise front lines. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced since the fighting flared again. The war in Yemen began in 2014, when the Houthis took control of Sanaa and forced the government to relocate to Aden.
Photo: press material from the event
