The Saudi-led military coalition on Tuesday ordered civilians to evacuate an oil facility in Yemen's Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa ahead of a planned military operation, prompting the Iran-backed Houthi movement to threaten retaliatory attacks against Saudi Aramco installations and Riyadh's international airport.
The coalition's warning was directed at civilians in and around the Yemen Oil Company's Al-Sabaha Central Station, with military spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki releasing a map identifying the location. The announcement came amid a sharp escalation in fighting between Saudi-backed forces and the Houthis, whose recent missile and drone attacks have disrupted air travel and heightened security concerns across the kingdom.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree warned that any attack on Sanaa would trigger a severe response against targets in Saudi Arabia, including energy infrastructure and aviation facilities. The threats came as explosions were reported in the Yemeni capital following the coalition's evacuation announcement, while Houthi-affiliated media reported strikes on an oil installation.
๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐ฑ๐ถ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด
The Saudi-led coalition's Joint Forces Command instructed civilians to leave the Al-Sabaha oil facility in Sanaa before the commencement of military operations. Al-Maliki said the warning was intended to protect civilians and released a satellite image marking the area covered by the directive.
The coalition did not initially provide details about the nature or timing of the proposed operation. However, the warning followed a series of military exchanges between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, raising fears of further strikes against infrastructure in both countries.
Shortly after the announcement, explosions were heard in Sanaa, according to journalists reporting from the capital. Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah television subsequently reported that an oil facility had been attacked. The reported strikes marked a further escalation in the confrontation, although the full extent of damage was not immediately clear.
๐๐ผ๐๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐ฑ๐ถ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐๐
Responding to the evacuation order, Saree declared that Saudi Aramco's oil installations were potential military targets and urged workers, engineers and civilians to stay away from facilities that could be attacked.
The Houthi spokesman specifically identified Aramco's headquarters in Dammam, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and an Aramco refinery in the Saudi capital as possible targets if the coalition proceeded with strikes against Sanaa.
Saree also renewed warnings to airlines operating in Saudi airspace and to passengers and airport personnel, reflecting the growing threat to civil aviation from the conflict.
The threats were conditional on further Saudi military action and did not, by themselves, establish that fresh attacks had been carried out against the named installations. Nevertheless, the public identification of major energy and aviation facilities underscored the risk of further escalation.
๐๐ ๐ฝ๐น๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ถ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น
Reports of explosions in Sanaa emerged shortly after the Saudi coalition's evacuation directive. Houthi-controlled media claimed that airstrikes had struck an oil facility in the capital, while the group's military spokesman said its forces were confronting Saudi-backed military formations.
The Houthis subsequently claimed that the targeted oil facility had no military significance and was empty of petroleum products. That assertion could not be independently verified.
The developments followed several days of intensified military activity, including Saudi strikes against Houthi-controlled territory and attacks attributed to the Yemeni group against Saudi infrastructure.
The coalition also announced that its air defence systems had intercepted and destroyed three drones north of Riyadh on Tuesday, indicating that aerial threats to the kingdom remained active.
๐ฅ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ต ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฝ๐ ๐ณ๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐
The latest confrontation follows deadly attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, which have severely disrupted air traffic in Saudi Arabia. A missile strike claimed by the Houthis on Saturday reportedly killed at least 13 people and injured more than 300, while another projectile attack on Sunday left one person dead and 11 wounded.
The attacks have prompted several international airlines to suspend or alter services to Saudi Arabia and neighbouring countries. Among the carriers affected are Air India, Air France-KLM, Lufthansa, Etihad, Delta Air Lines, Gulf Air and Qatar Airways.
The French embassy in Saudi Arabia advised its nationals against travelling through airports in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, citing the deteriorating security situation. The United States embassy also urged American citizens to reconsider travel to the kingdom because of the threat of missile and drone attacks, armed conflict and terrorism.
The continuing disruption has raised concerns about the safety of civilian aviation and the wider economic consequences of attacks on transport infrastructure in one of the Middle East's principal commercial and energy hubs.
๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐ฑ๐ถ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐
Saudi Arabia's cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, warned on Tuesday that the Houthis would face consequences for their repeated attacks on the kingdom. The government reaffirmed its determination to protect national security and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The latest escalation is linked to fighting along Yemen's western coastline, where Houthi forces seized strategically important territory last month. Saudi Arabia has subsequently backed a counteroffensive by forces aligned with Yemen's internationally recognised government, while carrying out military operations against Houthi positions.
The confrontation has also drawn international reactions. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed support for Saudi Arabia during a telephone conversation with the crown prince, while Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty indicated that Cairo was prepared to assist the kingdom in responding to security threats.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ณ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ถ๐น ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐น๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐
The Houthi threats against Saudi Aramco facilities have heightened concerns over the security of oil production, refining and transportation infrastructure in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia is among the world's largest crude oil exporters, and disruptions to its energy installations could have consequences for international oil markets.
The confrontation is unfolding against the backdrop of the wider conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel, which has already disrupted maritime activity around the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping security concerns have intensified as attacks on commercial vessels and energy infrastructure threaten important international trade routes.
For Saudi Arabia, the immediate challenge is protecting its airports, oil facilities and population while continuing military operations against the Houthis. For Yemen, renewed fighting threatens to deepen an already prolonged humanitarian crisis, particularly if strikes affect fuel storage, transport infrastructure or densely populated areas.
With the coalition proceeding with military operations and the Houthis threatening retaliation against major Saudi installations, the latest developments have increased fears of a wider confrontation that could further disrupt aviation, energy supplies and maritime trade across the region.