Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said on Saturday they had targeted an Aramco facility in the Saudi capital Riyadh with ballistic missiles and drones, as fighting between the group and Saudi-backed forces continues to intensify.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the attack was carried out in retaliation for Saudi strikes on Sanaa and other parts of Yemen. He described the strikes as “precise and direct” and said they caused fires at the site.
A large plume of smoke and fire was seen rising near an Aramco facility in Riyadh on Saturday, according to a Reuters witness. Saudi authorities have not confirmed that the facility was attacked, while Aramco has not commented on the cause of the fire.
The Houthi claim came as Yemen’s internationally recognised government forces intensified their military campaign against the group.
Early on Sunday (4 October), Yemen's armed forces said it was conducting strikes against the Iran-aligned Houthis in the capital Sanaa and the group's stronghold Saada.
A spokesperson said its forces were targeting what he described as “vital targets”, without providing further details.
Yemen's Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported earlier an attack it said was carried out by Saudi Arabia on Sanaa. There was no immediate Saudi confirmation on the report.
Meanwhile, Yemen’s army said it had carried out 257 precision targeting operations against Houthi sites, movements and military capabilities. The operations involved warplanes, drones, artillery, missiles and rocket launchers.
Government forces said the operations killed at least 700 Houthi fighters and destroyed 170 combat vehicles and pieces of heavy equipment. The figures have not been independently verified.
The strikes targeted Sanaa, Midi, Baqim and front lines in al-Jawf, Marib, al-Bayda and Lahij, with the heaviest operations concentrated around Taiz.
The government forces also said they had carried out nearly 500 military operations on Friday, claiming 1,540 Houthi fighters were killed or wounded. Those figures have also not been independently verified.
Government forces have also closed a key crossing connecting Houthi-held al-Houban with government-held Taiz city.
The latest escalation follows an earlier exchange of strikes between the two sides. Yemen’s armed forces said they were conducting attacks against Houthi targets in Sanaa and the group’s stronghold of Saada, while Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported an attack by Saudi Arabia on Sanaa.
The fighting has intensified since a fragile 2022 truce collapsed in July.
In mid-September, the Houthis seized the port city of Mocha and strategic islands in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait before anti-Houthi forces stabilised the front lines.
The Houthis have also targeted Saudi territory and energy infrastructure. Last week, they said they had attacked Aramco facilities in Yanbu with missiles and drones. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted six ballistic missiles fired towards Taif and Yanbu and reported no damage to Aramco facilities.
Earlier this week, the Saudi-led coalition said the Houthis had attacked a power station in Medina.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced since fighting resumed, adding to Yemen’s longstanding humanitarian crisis.
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