The Saudi-led coalition struck a fuel depot near Sanaa, accusing the Houthis of using it for military purposes. The Houthis threatened to target Aramco facilities and airports in Saudi Arabia in response.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen has carried out a strike on a fuel depot near the Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa, according to coalition spokesperson Maj Gen Turki al-Maliki. The coalition accused the Houthis of using the Yemen Petroleum Company's al-Sabaha facility to support missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Maj Gen Turki al-Maliki stated that the Houthis "fully exploited these sites to support the war effort by supplying the arsenal of missiles and drones that threaten the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as the safety of airports, seaports and commercial vessels in the Red Sea." The coalition had earlier warned civilians to evacuate the site ahead of what it called a "special operation."
Brigadier General Yahya Saree, a military spokesperson for the Houthis, denied the facility had military value, stating that Sabaha "does not contain any stock of petroleum products." The Houthi-run Yemen Petroleum Company issued a statement assuring residents that it had "taken all necessary precautionary measures to address any emergency, ensuring the stability of the supply situation and the continued meeting of citizens' needs in a normal manner."
The Houthis threatened a "harsh and painful" response to any strikes on Sanaa. Saree said the group could target oil company Saudi Aramco’s facilities in the kingdom’s Eastern Province and Riyadh. On Tuesday evening, Maliki said the Saudi coalition had intercepted ballistic missile strikes launched on Haradh and Dhahran, both cities in the Eastern Province. Fragments from an interception over Dhahran fell into a residential area, he added.
The strike follows a series of Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure. Thirteen people were killed when a missile hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, while another person was killed in a similar attack there the following day. The Saudi cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said the Iran-backed group would "bear the consequences" of its recent deadly attacks on the kingdom.
US President Donald Trump criticized the Houthis on his Truth Social platform, stating, "The Houthis are behaving very badly... probably at the behest of Iran, which is a Failing Nation... hitting Saudi Arabia, and purposefully trying to drive up Oil Prices, probably prior to the US Elections — NOT NICE." Trump warned that he would still be in power after the November 3 midterm elections and "will never forget" the militants’ recent actions.
The conflict has caused significant disruption in Yemen. AFP reported that queues formed at petrol stations in Sanaa on Tuesday afternoon following the coalition's warning, with residents worried about shortages. The UN's human rights office says that hundreds of people have reportedly been killed in Yemen since August, including at least 54 civilians, half of them children. More than 216,000 people have been displaced across the country, and suspected cholera cases have tripled in three weeks, rising from 217 to 647, according to the UN.
The Saudi-led coalition has been providing air support for Yemeni pro-government forces mounting an offensive on Yemen's Red Sea coast. Last week, pro-government forces said they had regained control of territory overlooking Bab al-Mandab after launching a major counter-offensive with the support of Saudi air strikes.
The escalation threatens global shipping routes through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a chokepoint for international commerce. The conflict has already contributed to a rise in oil prices following six months of war between the US, Israel and Iran. The threat of further attacks on Aramco facilities and Saudi airports raises concerns about regional stability and energy security.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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