Houthis Claim Missile and Drone Strikes on Riyadh and Yanbu

Yemen's Houthi movement said on Saturday that it had carried out missile and drone attacks on what it described as sensitive sites in Riyadh and on facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu.

The claim, issued by Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree in a statement on Telegram, said two operations were conducted using ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones. Saree said the strikes were a response to what the group called Saudi criminal attempts to target Yemen's capital, Sanaa. The group did not specify which sites in Riyadh were hit, and Saudi authorities had not confirmed the claims when the reports emerged.

The announcement followed an overnight warning from Saudi authorities of a hostile aerial threat over Riyadh and the nearby city of Al-Kharj. Residents were told shortly before 3 a.m. to stay indoors. Two explosions were heard before the alert was lifted about half an hour later, and the Civil Defence subsequently issued an all-clear.

Later on Saturday, a large column of black smoke rose near King Khalid International Airport. Footage showed thick smoke near the airport and flames behind what appeared to be fuel storage tanks. A journalist at the scene saw firefighters extinguishing a burning fuel tank bearing the Aramco logo at a depot close to the airport. Flight-tracking service FlightRadar24 temporarily reported major disruption at Riyadh airport before traffic began returning to normal.

The overnight alert was the first of its kind in Riyadh since fighting involving the Houthis intensified in July, marking a further escalation in the confrontation between the group and Saudi Arabia. The Houthis have increasingly targeted Saudi cities, energy infrastructure and shipping, and have declared a naval blockade against the kingdom.

The reported strike on Aramco facilities in Yanbu is notable because the Red Sea port is a major Saudi oil export and industrial hub. The escalation comes as shipping and energy markets already face disruption from the wider regional conflict and restrictions around the Strait of Hormuz, and attacks on Saudi-linked infrastructure could add pressure to alternative routes used to move Gulf energy supplies.

The renewed fighting follows a rapid Houthi offensive in Yemen that captured large parts of the country's Red Sea coastline and put pressure on the Saudi-backed internationally recognised government. Saudi Arabia has responded with airstrikes on Houthi-held areas, while the Houthis have accused Riyadh of carrying out hundreds of strikes against their positions. The conflict has opened another front in the broader regional confrontation that began with US and Israeli strikes against Iran in February.

Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei said on Saturday that Tehran wanted the Saudi-Houthi war to end and believed the Yemeni side also sought a settlement with Riyadh.

On Friday, the UN Security Council condemned continued Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, including strikes affecting civilian and energy infrastructure. The council said the attacks had injured civilians, including women and children, and also condemned the wider Houthi military escalation in Yemen. The United Nations has said the renewed fighting has displaced more than 112,000 people, while nearly 3,000 others have crossed the sea to Djibouti.

The escalation coincides with Washington strengthening Saudi Arabia's military capabilities. The United States approved a $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia on Thursday, saying the weapons would help Riyadh deter current and future threats.