Houthis claim ‘qualitative military operation’ targeting Aramco in Riyadh

New Delhi: Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement on Saturday claimed it attacked an Aramco oil facility in Riyadh with ballistic missiles and drones, saying the strike was in retaliation for Saudi attacks on Yemen. The claim came after smoke and flames were seen rising near an Aramco facility in the Saudi capital, although Saudi authorities have not confirmed that the fire was caused by a Houthi attack.

The Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said the group carried out a “qualitative military operation” against Aramco in Riyadh. In a statement issued by the Yemeni Armed Forces, he claimed the strikes were precise and direct and caused fires at the targeted sites.

The Houthis statement said the attack followed 60 Saudi airstrikes and missile attacks on Sanaa and other Yemeni provinces in the previous 24 hours. The group also claimed that the latest attacks brought the total number of Saudi airstrikes and missile attacks since the current escalation began to 1,410, a figure that could not be independently verified.

Earlier media reports noted that Saudi aircraft had carried out 26 strikes on Sanaa on Thursday night.

The latest exchange comes amid renewed fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis after hostilities resumed in July. The Houthis have stepped up attacks on Saudi cities and energy infrastructure, while Saudi forces and Yemeni government forces have continued operations against Houthi positions.

The reported fire at the Aramco facility added to concerns over the security of Saudi energy infrastructure. Reuters reported that a large plume of smoke and fire was visible in the vicinity of an Aramco facility in Riyadh, while videos circulated on social media appeared to show flames and thick black smoke rising from at least two locations.

Saudi authorities have not publicly confirmed that the facility was hit by a Houthi missile or drone. There was also no immediate confirmed information on casualties or the extent of damage caused by the fire.

The Houthis had claimed another attack on Saudi energy infrastructure last week, saying they targeted Aramco facilities in Yanbu with missiles and drones. Saudi Arabia said at the time that it intercepted six ballistic missiles fired towards Taif and the Yanbu area but did not report damage to Aramco facilities.

The escalation has also raised wider concerns about security around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a major maritime route linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. In an interview with Al Jazeera, the Somali president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, accused the Houthis of destabilizing the region and disrupting navigation through the strategic waterway, saying he wanted to see a united and peaceful Yemen.

Separately, Yemeni government forces said they had carried out 97 “precision targeting operations” against the Houthis in the Taiz and Lahij provinces. The claims from the different sides could not be independently verified, but they point to a widening military confrontation as Saudi-Houthi tensions continue to intensify.