Houthis Claim Seven Operations Against Three Saudi Airports and Oil Sites; Riyadh Silent
Yemen's Houthi rebels have claimed to have carried out seven 'special military operations' against three airports, an airbase and several oil installations in Saudi Arabia. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree made the claim in a statement on the social media platform X on Saturday. Saudi authorities have not yet commented on the claims, so they have not been independently verified.
According to Saree, the attacks were carried out against various installations in Saudi Arabia over the past 24 hours. He said precision strikes had hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and an Aramco facility in Yanbu. He also claimed the attack on King Khalid Airport was carried out in two phases.
Oil sector installations were also said to be among the targets. Saree said the Rabigh oil refinery, a crude oil pumping station and the East-West oil pipeline were attacked as well. He claimed their objectives in these attacks had been achieved.
Saree also claimed successful attacks on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam and on Najran Airport. He said an airbase in Khamis Mushait in Saudi Arabia was attacked too. Taken together, the claimed list of targets includes three kinds of installations: airports, an airbase and energy infrastructure.
In his statement on X, Saree said their operations would continue deeper into Saudi territory. He warned that Saudi military installations would be targeted following the principle of 'blockade in response to blockade and attack in response to attack'. He also said operations would continue as long as the aggression does not stop and the blockade on Yemen is not lifted.
The picture a few hours before this claim was different. Earlier on Saturday, the Saudi-led coalition had said it destroyed two ballistic missiles fired towards Taif and Yanbu. A few hours after that announcement, the Houthis claimed attacks on various installations and airports in Saudi Arabia. Because of this difference between the two sides' accounts, the true picture on the ground remains unclear.
According to the Houthi claim, the targets included the East-West oil pipeline, a crude oil pumping station, a Saudi Aramco facility in Yanbu and the Rabigh oil refinery. King Khalid International Airport, King Fahd International Airport, Najran Airport and an airbase in Khamis Mushait were also said to have been targeted.
However, no immediate information was available from Saudi authorities about these attacks. Because of Riyadh's silence, it cannot yet be confirmed what level of damage, if any, occurred at any of the targets. The Houthi account is therefore presented in this report as a claim.
Saudi Civil Defence did, however, issue a temporary warning on Saturday to residents of Taif, Yanbu, Makkah and Jeddah about possible danger. Ten minutes later, it said the risk had passed. The issuing and withdrawal of that warning shows that Saudi authorities were at least in a state of alert over an aerial threat.
The sequence leading up to the latest claim was also eventful. Before Saturday's claim, the group had also reported attacks in Saudi Arabia on Thursday. That day, attacks were claimed on the Saudi defence ministry in Riyadh, a Saudi Aramco facility in Yanbu and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam. Saudi authorities said two people were killed in the attack in Dammam, but gave no confirmed information about the claimed attacks in Riyadh and Yanbu.
That day, the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted drones in the skies over Riyadh and Madinah. A day earlier, the coalition had also claimed to intercept drones over Madinah and Saudi Arabia's eastern region. The Houthis, however, denied the allegation of sending a drone towards Madinah. The two sides' accounts did not align in those earlier incidents either.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen have been carrying out one attack after another in Saudi Arabia. With airports and oil installations repeatedly targeted, the impact of these attacks is not limited to the military sphere; questions are also being raised about the safety of civilian air travel and energy infrastructure.
Attention will now turn to the official Saudi response. If Riyadh comments on the claims, it may become clearer which parts are true and which are exaggerated. Until then, Saturday's seven operations remain a Houthi claim, set against the coalition's counter-account of destroying missiles.
