The Houthis attributed the airstrikes to Saudi Arabia, prompting their military spokesperson to announce six retaliatory operations against Saudi infrastructure and troops using missiles and drones
The conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement has escalated, with the rebels claiming a series of attacks on Saudi oil facilities, an airport and military positions in retaliation for deadly airstrikes they blamed on Riyadh.
Houthi-linked media said at least 25 people, including women and children, were killed in Saudi airstrikes on the town of al-Shariyah, east of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. There has been no immediate comment from the Saudi-led coalition, which backs Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
Footage broadcast by Al Masirah, a television channel operated by the Houthis, showed rescuers pulling bodies from the rubble of damaged buildings. The bodies of young children could be seen among those recovered, while injured people were carried on stretchers to nearby hospitals.
The Houthi-run Saba news agency also blamed Saudi Arabia for the strikes.
In response, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced that the group had carried out six military operations targeting Saudi infrastructure and troop positions.
In a statement, Saree said the attacks involved ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones and were retaliation for what the Houthis described as Saudi attacks on civilians in Taiz and Bani Hashish.
Houthis Claim Strikes on Riyadh Airport, Aramco Facilities
According to Saree, the first operation targeted Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, along with Aramco oil storage tanks and a distillation tower in the Saudi capital. He claimed the attack had “successfully achieved its objective”.
The second operation targeted facilities belonging to Saudi state oil giant Aramco in Khurais, a major oil-producing area in eastern Saudi Arabia, he said.
A third attack was directed at Pumping Station No. 8 in the Dawadmi area.
The remaining three operations targeted Saudi military personnel, according to the Houthi account.
Saree claimed that one strike hit a Saudi National Guard camp in Najran, causing a large number of casualties. Two other operations targeted Saudi troop concentrations in Yemen’s Marib and Al-Jawf regions.
There has been no independent confirmation of the claimed Houthi attacks or the extent of the damage.
