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The Houthis (Ansar Allah) in Yemen announced on September 19 that they had launched missile and drone attacks against targets in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, as the latest escalation between the two sides reached the kingdom’s capital.
In a statement, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the group carried out two operations using a large number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones. One targeted “sensitive targets” in Riyadh, while another targeted facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu, according to the spokesman.
The announcement came hours after Saudi authorities issued emergency alerts warning of a possible aerial threat in Riyadh and the nearby city of al-Kharj.
At least one explosion was heard in Riyadh, while Reuters footage and photographs showed flames and a large column of black smoke rising near King Khalid International Airport.
The Houthis said the attacks were carried out in response to what they described as Saudi attacks in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital.
The group has intensified its attacks against Saudi Arabia since announcing a maritime blockade in July, targeting Saudi cities, energy infrastructure and shipping.
The latest strikes follow several days of cross-border attacks. Saudi authorities said on September 17 that debris from an intercepted Houthi drone killed one person and injured two others in Taif. The kingdom also reported intercepting Houthi drones and missiles over other areas.
The renewed fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis has opened a new front in the wider regional conflict and raised concerns over attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure and shipping routes, especially after the group captured the coast along Bab al-Mandab Strait in a lighting attack earlier this month.
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