Rebels say they hit Ras Tanura, Abqaiq oil facilities

Missile, drone strikes reported at Riyadh, Dammam airports

Houthis vow to press campaign until Saudi attacks halt

Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted 2 ballistic missiles

Houthi fighters inspect an armored vehicle during an offensive against Saudi-backed Yemeni forces in Marib province, eastern Yemen, on Wednesday (local time). [EPA]
Houthi fighters inspect an armored vehicle during an offensive against Saudi-backed Yemeni forces in Marib province, eastern Yemen, on Wednesday (local time). [EPA]

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels claimed Thursday (local time) that they struck six targets on Saudi soil, including the capital Riyadh's international airport and major oil facilities belonging to state energy giant Aramco.

In a statement issued Thursday (local time), the rebels said they carried out six large-scale military operations against key Saudi facilities in retaliation for recent Saudi airstrikes.

The group described the attacks as a response to "the merciless Saudi strikes that recently killed and wounded dozens of people, including women and children."

According to the Houthis, the operations involved ballistic missiles, conventional missiles and drones.

Among the primary targets were a refinery in Ras Tanura in eastern Saudi Arabia and an Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq, both of which the rebels claimed were struck with precision missile fire.

The group also said it launched a missile strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and deployed drones against King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, claiming the drone attack disrupted air traffic at the facility.

The rebels additionally said they fired a ballistic missile at a refinery in Rabigh and attacked a Saudi military headquarters in the southern Najran region, claiming the strike caused Saudi casualties.

The Houthis warned they would continue retaliatory operations until Saudi Arabia halts its military campaign.

"We will continue military operations targeting the depths of Saudi territory, applying the formula of 'siege for siege, escalation for escalation,' until Saudi aggression stops and the siege is lifted," the group said.

Earlier, the Saudi-led coalition announced it had intercepted two Houthi ballistic missiles fired toward Riyadh.

Before the coalition's announcement, Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense authority had issued a danger alert, and explosions were reported heard in Riyadh.

The actual extent of damage to the oil facilities and airports claimed by the Houthis could not be independently confirmed.


sjy@heraldcorp.com