Yemen’s Houthis claim missile, drone attacks on Saudi capital

Yemen’s Houthi group has claimed it launched missile and drone attacks on “sensitive targets” in the Saudi capital Riyadh alongside a separate attack on facilities of oil firm Saudi Aramco in coastal Yanbu.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree wrote on US social media company X on Friday that the group carried out two operations using “a large number of ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones.”

He said the first operation targeted “sensitive targets” in Riyadh, while the second targeted Saudi Aramco in the western coastal city of Yanbu.

There has been as yet no Saudi comment on the Houthi claims.

Earlier Saturday, Saudi Civil Defense alerts reached Riyadh for the first time in the latest wave of warnings, with two alerts issued in the capital and two others in the Al-Kharj province. Authorities did not specify the nature of the threat or report casualties or damage linked to the warnings.

The warnings came a day after Saudi Civil Defense announced that the danger had passed in seven cities and provinces stretching from the southwest to the northwest of the kingdom following a broader series of alerts.

On Thursday, Saudi authorities said one person was killed and two others injured by falling debris from a Houthi drone that was intercepted and destroyed over the western city of Taif. Several buildings and vehicles were also damaged.

Saudi authorities have issued similar warnings in several cities and regions in recent days before later announcing that the danger had passed.

On July 20, the Houthis announced what they called a “maritime blockade” on Saudi Arabia before later claiming missile and drone attacks on Saudi-linked vessels and sites.

Saudi Arabia has led a coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government since March 2015 against the Houthis, who have controlled the capital Sanaa and several provinces since September 2014.