Saudi-led coalition rejects Houthi claim of Riyadh attack as fighting intensifies
The Saudi-led coalition has dismissed Houthi claims that they targeted Riyadh with missiles and drones, saying the allegations were misleading. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said the group was trying to divert attention from its losses and growing public anger, according to the supplied report. The exchange comes as fighting between the Houthis and Yemen's internationally recognised government forces has intensified.
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The Houthis said they had struck an Aramco oil facility near Riyadh and claimed the attack caused large fires. The coalition did not confirm that account in the supplied material, and no independent verification of damage or casualties was provided. In parallel, Yemeni government forces said they had carried out 257 precision targeting operations against Houthi sites, movements and military capabilities on Saturday, with initial estimates indicating at least 700 Houthi rebels were killed.
The latest claims and counterclaims underline the scale of the conflict now unfolding across Yemen and along its borders. The coalition said its armed forces later conducted 97 precise targeting operations against Houthi reinforcements on the Tor al-Baha front and the Taiz axis, using warplanes, drones, artillery, missiles and snipers. The fighting has intensified since a fragile 2022 truce collapsed in July, displacing hundreds of thousands of people and deepening the humanitarian toll.
The dispute also matters because it involves energy infrastructure and the security of Saudi Arabia's capital. The supplied material says the Houthis have previously seized the port city of Mocha and strategic islands in the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a vital route for global oil shipments, before anti-Houthi forces stabilised front lines. Yemen has been at war since the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014, forcing the government to retreat to Aden, and the conflict has repeatedly drawn in regional actors.
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The coalition's remarks suggest it sees the Houthi statement as part of a wider information battle as well as a military one. The report says al-Maliki accused the group of having ties to external agendas and said its actions had brought chaos and devastation to Yemen. It also says the Houthis have sought to present battlefield developments as victories while government forces report heavy losses on the other side.
What remains unclear is whether any strike on the Riyadh-area facility actually occurred, whether there was damage, and whether anyone was injured. The supplied material does not provide independent confirmation of the Houthi claim or the full impact of the reported operations by government forces. The next developments to watch are any official Saudi statement, further Houthi claims, and whether the fighting leads to more cross-border attacks or wider disruption.
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