Drones and Rockets: Houthi Militia Claims Attacks in Saudi Arabia
The Houthi militia in Yemen has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia. Beforehand, residents in Riyadh had reported explosions and a column of smoke near the international airport.
The Houthi militia in Yemen says it has struck "important" targets in the Saudi capital Riyadh as well as oil facilities on the Red Sea. A Houthi spokesman announced that the group had fired dozens of ballistic missiles and drones at "sensitive targets" in Riyadh and at facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco in the port city of Yanbu. The attacks had triggered several major fires, according to the statement.
The Saudi side confirmed Houthi attacks on Riyadh and other cities, but provided no information on possible damage. According to the statement, the latest strikes were a response to more than 700 Saudi airstrikes in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia Under Pressure
Saudi Arabia supports Yemen's internationally recognized government in its protracted conflict with the Houthi militia. Since the latest escalation of the Yemen war, the country has repeatedly come under fire from Yemen.
The spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen, Turki al-Malki, announced late in the evening that Saudi air defenses had intercepted and destroyed a missile fired by the Houthis toward Riyadh that morning. Attacks on Yanbu and other cities had also been repelled, he said.
Eyewitnesses had previously reported a fire at a fuel tank at Riyadh's international airport, which had temporarily disrupted air traffic. No official statement on the cause of the fire was initially available.
Houthi Militia Controls Strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait
The pro-Iranian Houthis had declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in July and have since been striking targets in the kingdom. Following a lightning offensive against government troops in Yemen, the militia took control last week of large sections of the Yemeni coastline along the strategically important Bab al-Mandab strait — a significant setback for Saudi Arabia.
The strait connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and thus with the Indian Ocean. It is an important route for international shipping, particularly for the export of Saudi oil.
The strait has gained additional significance since the largely effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. Saudi Arabia is attempting, among other things, to reroute a portion of its oil exports to Asia via the Red Sea.
