Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for a fire that broke out at an Aramco oil facility in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Saturday.
If confirmed, the incident would be the latest in a series of attacks targeting Saudi oil infrastructure amid renewed fighting in Yemen.
Houthi military spokesman Brigadier Yahya Saree said the alleged attack was carried out in response to what he described as an “unjust siege” and airstrikes launched from Saudi territory.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a military operation using several ballistic missiles and drones, targeting Aramco in the capital of the Saudi enemy, Riyadh,” Saree said in a statement posted on social media.
He claimed the operation hit its targets directly and caused fires at the facilities.
The claim came amid a major escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis, which has reignited Yemen’s long-running civil war. The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s government said it carried out operations against Houthi fighters early Sunday, reportedly killing hundreds.
“We will continue to impose the equation of ‘siege for siege’ and ‘escalation for escalation,’ and to target the Saudi enemy’s military mobilisations until the aggression stops and the siege on our beloved country is lifted,” Saree said.
The Saudi-led coalition has described the Houthi statement as misleading. The rebels also claimed responsibility last month for an attack on an Aramco facility in Yanbu, but Saudi authorities said the missiles were intercepted and no damage was reported.
Renewed violence in Yemen in recent weeks has killed hundreds of people and displaced tens of thousands.
The Houthis captured the strategic port city of Mokha and several Red Sea islands last month, extending their reach towards the key Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The advance represented the group’s biggest territorial gain in years and brought an end to a 2022 ceasefire that had largely halted major fighting in Yemen’s 12-year civil war.
