Saudi-led coalition strikes Yemen fuel depots as Houthis threaten retaliation
Saudi-led coalition strikes hit fuel facilities near Sanaa and at Yemen’s Ras Isa port on Tuesday. The Houthis threatened retaliation against Saudi airports and Aramco facilities, following deadly weekend attacks that shut Riyadh’s main airport.
theguardian.comMiddle East crisis: Riyadh airport hit again as Houthis claim attacks, including strike that killed 12 – as it happened
africanews.comHouthi rebels claim new strikes on Saudi airports and energy facilities
Fuel facilities struck
Saudi-led coalition strikes hit the al-Sabaha oil depot on the outskirts of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, on Tuesday after a warning for civilians to evacuate. Oil depots at Ras Isa port in Hodeidah were also struck.
The Houthi-run petroleum company said the al-Sabaha facility held no petroleum stocks and that precautions had been taken to maintain supplies. An AFP correspondent reported queues at Sanaa petrol stations as residents worried about shortages following the coalition’s warning.
Houthis threaten retaliation
Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree warned that strikes on Sanaa would bring a “harsh and painful” response in Riyadh. The group told civilians to leave Aramco’s headquarters in Dammam, an Aramco-affiliated refinery in Riyadh and King Khalid International Airport, describing the sites as targets.
The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted three drones north of Riyadh on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia’s cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said the Houthis would face “consequences” for attacks across the kingdom, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Deadly airport attacks
The escalation follows Saturday’s Houthi-claimed missile attack on King Khalid International Airport. Reports differ on the death toll: Africanews reported 12 killed and 309 injured, while the Guardian and Al Jazeera reported 13 or at least 13 killed and more than 300 injured.
A further projectile strike on Sunday killed one person and injured 11, Saudi aviation authorities said. King Fahd International Airport near Dammam was also attacked that evening. Flights at Riyadh’s airport remain suspended until Saturday at the earliest, and several international airlines have suspended services to Saudi Arabia and neighbouring countries.
Renewed fighting and civilian toll
A four-year informal ceasefire began unravelling in July, when the Houthis announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia and began attacks on airports, oil facilities and tankers. The group said it was responding to what it called a Saudi blockade and an airport strike it blamed on the kingdom. Fighting escalated after Houthi gains near the Bab al-Mandab Strait in September; Saudi Arabia is supporting a Yemeni government counteroffensive.
The UN human rights office says at least 54 civilians, half of them children, are among those reportedly killed in Yemen since August. More than 216,000 people have been displaced, and suspected cholera cases rose from 217 to 647 in three weeks, according to the UN.
