Riyadh hits back after Houthis blitz oil facilities
A satellite image shows smoke rising from the Saudi Aramco distribution centre, after what the Saudi, led coalition in Yemen said were attacks by Yemen's Houthis, in Abha Bulk, Saudi Arabia, in this handout image obtained by Reuters on September 8, 2026. — Reuters Listen to article 1x 1.2x 1.5x comments Join our Whatsapp Channel Add Dawn as a trusted source • Airport, air base, Aramco installations among targets as rebels strike four southern cities; over 70 wounded in attacks • Saudis target Taiz and Marib provinces, Jubah district near Sanaa during counterattack • Pakistan flays escalation, backs Riyadh’s response • EU, UN chief voice concern, call for immediate end to hostilities • Rubio sees ‘Iranian hand’ behind attacks
RIYADH / CAIRO: In a dramatic chain of events, Riyadh launched a counteroffensive on Tuesday after Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted oil facilities across Saudi Arabia, effectively unravelling an uneasy four, year truce between the two sides.
The rebel group claimed attacks on four cities in the south of Saudi Arabia, which wounded more than 70 people and set oil installations ablaze.
The Yemeni rebels said they had fired dozens of ballistic missiles, hitting the southern cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, and Najran, including Abha International Airport, King Khalid air base, and facilities belonging to state oil giant Aramco.
An energy ministry source told the Saudi Press Agency that “several energy sector facilities and installations” in the south were targeted.
“The attacks caused fires at several locations, leading to a temporary halt in some operations” as well as several injuries, the source was quoted as saying.
They used drones and missiles to strike a Saudi airbase in the southern city of Khamis Mushait as well as Saudi state oil company assets in the cities of Abha, Najran and Jazan.
Nasa satellite images showed a thick cloud of black smoke over the Jazan refinery and a column of white smoke rising from an oil distribution centre in Abha.
Saudi authorities described blazes at the sites and said women and children were among the 73 people hurt.
The reports of such large numbers of wounded suggested the attacks were among the biggest carried out against Saudi Arabia since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran in February.
Later on Tuesday, the Almasirah TV station said that Saudi Arabia had retaliated with strikes on Taiz and Marib provinces, as well as the Jubah district, east of the capital Sanaa.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree accused Riyadh of having escalated the war by launching airstrikes on Yemen, and said the Houthis would respond.
The Saudi foreign ministry said Riyadh would “take all necessary measures to defend its sovereignty”.
It also called for an “immediate halt to all forms of escalation practised by this militia”, as well as Houthi attacks on shipping.
“The coalition will take all necessary operational measures to deter this terrorist militia and resolutely confronts its hostile approach,” Major General Turki al, Malki, spokesperson for the Saudi, led coalition, said in a statement on X.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat Prince Faisal bin Farhan said the door to diplomacy was still open, but that the kingdom was ready to defend itself.
“The Kingdom will always support peace and diplomatic solutions,” he said during a joint press conference in Moscow with his Russian counterpart.
“However, (Saudi Arabia) will not hesitate to defend itself, protect its interests, and support measures that secure the interests, security, and stability of brotherly Yemen.”
Last week, the Houthis launched a campaign to control the narrow Bab al, Mandab strait, an increasingly important route for Saudi oil after Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz.
Since the rebels launched their campaign on Thursday, at least 216 government forces and 278 Houthi fighters have been killed, according to sources from both sides who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. At least 29 civilians have also been killed.
