Yemen’s Houthi group claims it launched ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi Aramco facilities in Riyadh and Khurais, escalating cross-border hostilities as Saudi airstrikes reportedly intensified across Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen.
Yemen’s Houthi group on Sunday claimed it carried out fresh missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia, targeting two facilities operated by Saudi Aramco, including the major Khurais oil complex southeast of Riyadh. The announcement marked another escalation in the rapidly intensifying cross-border hostilities between the Iran-aligned Houthi movement and Saudi Arabia.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement broadcast by the group’s Al-Masirah television that Houthi forces conducted two separate military operations using “a number of ballistic missiles and drones.” According to Sarea, one operation targeted an Aramco facility in Riyadh, while the second targeted oil facilities at Khurais, located southeast of the Saudi capital.
Sarea claimed that both operations “achieved their objectives” and resulted in precise strikes that caused large fires at the targeted locations. The allegations, however, could not be independently verified. There was no immediate response from Saudi authorities or Saudi Aramco regarding the Houthi claims.
The latest announcement came amid a sharp deterioration in the security situation surrounding Yemen, with the Houthis and Saudi Arabia exchanging attacks as the long-running conflict enters another period of heightened confrontation.
According to Sarea, the Houthi attacks were carried out in response to what the group described as continuing Saudi air and missile strikes against areas under Houthi control in Yemen. He claimed that Saudi forces had conducted 50 air and missile strikes against Sanaa and the Yemeni provinces of Al-Jawf, Taiz, Amran, Hajjah and Saada during the preceding 12 hours.
The Houthi spokesperson further claimed that the total number of Saudi air and missile strikes since the latest escalation began had reached 1,460. These figures were issued by the Houthi movement and could not be independently confirmed.
Earlier, loud explosions were reported in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, which has remained under Houthi control for years. Al-Masirah TV reported renewed Saudi airstrikes on the city, while residents described hearing warplanes and powerful explosions late Saturday local time.
A Sanaa resident, speaking to Xinhua News Agency on condition of anonymity, said the intensity of the blasts caused windows to rattle and buildings to shake. The resident said the explosions were powerful enough to frighten children and create the sensation that the ground itself was moving.
The reported strikes and the Houthi missile and drone claims come as Yemen’s conflict experiences one of its most serious escalations in years. Heavy fighting has reportedly spread across parts of southwestern Yemen, while renewed missile, drone and air attacks have brought direct hostilities between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia back into focus.
The latest developments also highlight the continuing vulnerability of Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure amid the wider Yemen conflict. Saudi Aramco operates some of the world’s most important oil production and processing facilities, making attacks or alleged attacks on its infrastructure a major regional security concern.
The Yemen war began in late 2014, when Houthi forces seized Sanaa and expanded their control across large parts of northern Yemen. The developments prompted Saudi Arabia and its regional allies to intervene militarily in March 2015 in support of Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
The conflict has since produced years of fighting, airstrikes, missile and drone attacks, humanitarian suffering and repeated diplomatic efforts aimed at securing a political settlement.
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Sunday’s claims indicate that the cycle of attacks remains active despite previous attempts to reduce tensions. The absence of immediate independent confirmation from Saudi authorities or Saudi Aramco leaves the precise impact of the alleged attacks unclear.
As cross-border attacks continue, developments involving Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure and Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen are likely to remain closely monitored because of their potential implications for regional security and energy markets.
