Home · World · Oct 4 archive
Saudi-Led Coalition Rejects Houthi Claim of Riyadh Attack
Confirmed
In Short: The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis rejected the group’s claim that it attacked Riyadh, calling the assertion “misleading,” according to Al Jazeera and Ddindia.
Al Jazeera reported that the coalition spokesman, Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili, said Yemeni forces executed 257 precision targeting operations against Houthi sites on Saturday, while the coalition itself carried out 97 operations against Houthi reinforcements on the Tor al-Baha front and the Taiz axis.
Al Jazeera quoted coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki as saying that the Houthis are “attempting to divert attention from the scale of the losses and the growing public anger against them.” He added that initial estimates indicate that the operations killed at least 700 Houthi rebels.
Ddindia reported that Houthi-affiliated channel Al Masirah claimed the Houthis had launched a ballistic missile and drone operation targeting Aramco in Riyadh, while Saba News Agency in Aden reported Yemeni forces carried out 97 operations against Houthi reinforcements.
Al Jazeera and Ddindia both noted that the fighting between the Houthis and Yemeni government forces has intensified since the 2022 truce collapsed in July, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.
Ddindia reported that the Houthis seized the port city of Mocha and strategic islands in the Bab al-Mandeb strait in mid-September, before anti-Houthi forces stabilized the front lines.
Al Jazeera and Ddindia both reported that Yemen has been at war since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa in 2014, forcing the Yemeni government to retreat to Aden.
Daijiworld reported that Saudi Arabia’s air defences intercepted and destroyed a drone south of Mecca before it could enter the holy city’s restricted airspace, while Houthi official Hazem al-Assad described the claim as a “worn-out lie.”
Türkiye Today and Daily Sabah reported that the Saudi-led coalition dismissed Houthi claims of an attack on Riyadh as “misleading” after reports of visible flames at an oil facility near the Saudi capital.
Arabnews reported that coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said the coalition remains committed to supporting the Yemeni government and people, as well as efforts to restore state institutions and end the Houthi takeover.
Arabnews also noted that the coalition accused the Houthi militia of continuing to commit serious violations against Yemenis, including imposing internal sieges, forcibly displacing residents, restricting access to food, looting resources, and using them to support their military operations.
The coalition reiterated its full political and military support for the Yemeni government and people in efforts to end the Houthi coup and restore state institutions, and urged the international community to provide full support to the legitimate Yemeni government in confronting the Houthis.
The Saudi-led coalition’s rejection of the Houthi claim and its emphasis on the Houthis’ losses and violations highlight the ongoing conflict and the coalition’s continued efforts to counter Houthi advances.
What's confirmed
- Government forces said Sunday that they struck Houthi targets across Yemen, while the Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack on an oil facility south of Riyadh belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco.
- Fighting intensified last month when the Houthis launched a rapid offensive and seized coastal areas along the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.
- Fighting between the Iran-backed Houthis and Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which is supported by Saudi Arabia, resumed in July and has included repeated Houthi attacks on Saudi territory.
- The Houthis also claimed last month to have attacked an oil facility in Yanbu, a major Saudi oil terminal on the Red Sea.
- Yemen returned to major civil war in July after several years of relative calm, with the Houthis controlling most of the northwest, including the capital Sanaa, while the government and its Saudi backers hold much of the south and east.
What's still developing
- Meanwhile, al-Maliki said the Houthis’ “ties to external agendas” have brought “chaos and devastation to Yemen”, adding that “what the Houthis are facing in Taiz … drive them to seek illusory victories”.
- Sare’e claimed the strikes hit their targets and caused fires, saying the attack was in response to Saudi airstrikes and missile attacks on Sana’a and other Yemeni provinces.
- The forces have also reportedly struck Houthi targets in Sana’a and Saada, as fighting continues to intensify across the conflict’s important fronts.
- The Houthis reportedly launched a major missile and drone attack against Saudi Arabia this week, with attacks causing damage to oil facilities and leaving dozens of people injured.
- On Monday, a Houthi strike in western Yemen reportedly killed eight government soldiers, according to military sources.
- According to coalition spokesperson Major-General Turki al-Maliki, the Houthis also attempted to target civilians and civilian infrastructure in Bisha, Taif, Farasan, and Yanbu, but these attacks were also thwarted.
- The rebel group also launched numerous attacks on Saudi territory.
- The Houthi military's spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement on X that fighters had targeted the sites with ballistic missiles and drones, and that "both operations successfully achieved their objectives".
- He also cited Houthi attacks and attempted attacks against Saudi Arabia, including efforts to target Makkah and Madinah, as well as civilian areas in Riyadh, Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, Najran, Taif and Yanbu.
- He said such actions necessitated continued measures to deter Houthi attacks and protect the Kingdom’s sovereignty and security, as well as regional and international security.
- RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Monday strongly condemned continued Iran-backed Houthi attacks targeting civilians and civilian and economic infrastructure in the Kingdom, as well as repeated attacks on Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh and other Saudi cities.