The conflict has drawn in regional dynamics, with Iran backing the Houthis and Saudi Arabia responding with airstrikes
Photo : AP
Yemen’s armed forces said on Saturday that they are carrying out strikes against Iran-aligned Houthi forces in the capital, Sanaa, and the group’s stronghold of Saada.
The two sides have traded strikes since last month, when the Houthis launched a lightning offensive, seizing all of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and taking control of the Bab al-Mandab strait. This comes after Houthis said they had attacked a major oil facility in Saudi Arabia with ballistic missiles and drones. The claim came after flames and a large plume of smoke were seen rising from the Aramco refinery on Saturday, and firefighters tackled the blaze.
A spokesperson for the forces, which are aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government, said they were targeting “vital targets” but gave no further details. The Houthi-run Al Masirah television channel earlier reported what it said was a Saudi air attack on Sanaa. Saudi Arabia has not immediately confirmed the report.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had targeted an oil facility in Riyadh with ballistic missiles and drones, and that the attacks had set the targeted sites ablaze.
The AFP journalist saw firefighters trying to put out a fire at Aramco’s Riyadh refinery, south of the capital. Ambulances and police vehicles were stationed nearby.
Fighting Spreads
The conflict between the Iran-backed Houthis and forces aligned with the Saudi-backed government has intensified as part of the wider war between Iran and the United States. Hostilities resumed this year after the Houthis declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in July and began attacking Saudi territory and shipping.
The Houthis have also made significant territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including areas near the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait.
Saudi Arabia has responded with air strikes in Yemen while backing government forces fighting the Houthis. The Houthis said on Saturday that they had attacked an oil facility near Riyadh with ballistic missiles and drones, claiming that the strikes caused fires.
An AFP journalist reported seeing flames and smoke rising from an Aramco facility south of the Saudi capital, although Saudi authorities have not commented.
Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV also reported that Saudi aircraft had carried out 26 strikes on Sanaa. Two correspondents in the city said they heard loud explosions and saw warplanes firing missiles.
Fighting Returns After Years of Calm
Yemen’s civil war pits the Iran-backed Houthis, who control most of the country’s north-west including Sanaa, against the internationally recognised government, which is based in Aden and controls much of the south and east.
The latest escalation followed the arrival of an Iranian plane in Sanaa carrying a Houthi delegation. The flight did not seek Saudi authorisation, contravening a practice that had been in place for a decade.
Saudi Arabia responded by striking Sanaa airport, after which the Houthis launched attacks on Saudi territory for the first time since 2022.
Since then, the Houthis have seized coastal territory along the Bab al-Mandab strait and attacked Saudi targets, including oil infrastructure and sites around Riyadh. They have also announced a naval blockade of Saudi shipping in the Red Sea.
The renewed fighting has added to Yemen’s already severe humanitarian crisis. The World Food Programme warned on Friday that three-quarters of the country’s population was unable to meet its basic food needs.
Fighting has also intensified around Taiz, where sources on both sides reported dozens of combatants killed on Friday. The Houthis said 55 of their fighters had been killed, while government sources told AFP that 26 troops had died.
