The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government has rejected recent claims by the Iran-allied Houthi movement that it attacked the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki described the assertions as “misleading” on Saturday, following Houthi reports that their ballistic missiles and drones had struck an Aramco oil facility near the city.
In comments broadcast by Saudi media outlet Asharq Al-Awsat late on Saturday, al-Maliki argued that the group is fabricating these stories to divert attention from its mounting military losses and rising public discontent within Yemen. He further blamed the Houthis’ “ties to external agendas” for the chaos and devastation plaguing the country, suggesting that the pressure on Houthi forces in Taiz was driving them to seek illusory victories.
Meanwhile, Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili, spokesman for Yemen’s government forces, reported that troops carried out 257 precision targeting operations against Houthi sites, movements, and military capabilities on Saturday. Initial estimates indicate the strikes resulted in the deaths of at least 700 Houthi rebels.
By early Sunday, the Saudi-led coalition announced that its armed forces had conducted an additional 97 precise targeting operations against Houthi reinforcements along the Tor al-Baha front and the Taiz axis. The operations utilized warplanes, drones, artillery, missiles, and snipers.
The escalation comes amid intensified fighting between Houthi rebels and government forces since a fragile truce collapsed in July 2022. In mid-September, the Houthis captured the port city of Mocha and strategic islands in the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a critical artery for global oil shipments, before anti-Houthi forces managed to stabilize the front lines.
Yemen has been embroiled in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, forcing the government to retreat to Aden. The ongoing violence has displaced hundreds of thousands of people.
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