Houthis Claim Attack on Saudi Aramco Amid Escalating Yemen Conflict
The Yemen-based Houthi movement has claimed responsibility for a recent attack on a Saudi Aramco facility in Riyadh, escalating tensions in the ongoing conflict. The Houthis, backed by Iran, announced the strike on social media platform X, stating that ballistic missiles and drones hit the site, causing significant fires. Eyewitnesses confirmed seeing a large plume of smoke near the facility.
Saudi officials, however, disputed the claims, with Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, calling the Houthi statement 'misleading.' The coalition reported conducting 97 'precise targeting operations' against Houthi reinforcements, resulting in the deaths of at least 260 fighters and the destruction of 44 military vehicles.
This latest attack follows previous Houthi claims of striking Aramco facilities in Yanbu, which Saudi officials said were intercepted without damage. Earlier this week, the Houthis also targeted a power station in Medina, a city of religious significance. The conflict has intensified since a truce collapsed in July 2022, with the Houthis capturing key strategic locations, including the port city of Mocha and islands in the Bab al-Mandeb strait.
The violence has displaced hundreds of thousands, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, which has been embroiled in civil war since the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, forcing the government to relocate to Aden.