Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels said Monday (local time) they carried out large-scale retaliatory strikes against six targets in Saudi Arabia, including key oil facilities, international airports and military bases.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the strikes were retaliation for "Saudi Arabia's brutal aggression," which he said had included more than 200 airstrikes on the Yemeni capital Sanaa and other areas over the previous 48 hours. He said the group had "successfully carried out six high-intensity military operations" using ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones.
Several of the targets the rebels claimed to have struck were facilities belonging to Saudi Aramco, the state oil company that forms the backbone of the Saudi economy.
Saree said the group carried out a two-phase precision strike on an Aramco facility in Yanbu — a major oil export port on Saudi Arabia's western Red Sea coast — triggering large fires. He added that the Shaybah oil field, a massive production complex in the Rub' al Khali desert in eastern Saudi Arabia near the UAE border, was also directly struck and set ablaze.
The Houthis also claimed sweeping attacks on major Saudi gateways and key military positions near the Yemeni border.
Saree said King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh was struck in three phases. He said strikes also targeted Abha International Airport in the southwestern Asir province, near the Yemeni border, and the Khamis Mushait air base, which he described as a key launch point for airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition.
Saree claimed the strikes brought air traffic at Abha airport to a complete halt, destroyed assets at the air base, and damaged Saudi military radar networks deployed at the nearby Jabal al-Hisn and Jabal al-Rahma.
The Houthis also said they struck a Saudi naval task force, inflicting multiple casualties, and directly hit and completely destroyed a Saudi military radar installation at Bir Askar near the border.
Saree said the group would strictly maintain its response formula of "blockade for blockade" and "escalation for escalation," adding that it would "strike back with broader and harsher blows" and continue operations targeting deep inside Saudi territory.
Saudi Arabia has yet to confirm the Houthi claims.
yckim6452@heraldcorp.com
