Yemenupdated 2h ago2 min read
Houthis Warn Civilians To Evacuate Saudi Aramco Sites After Saudi-Led Coalition Strikes Sanaa
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Houthis warn employees and civilians near Aramco sites to evacuate after coalition strikes. Saudi-led coalition urged evacuation of the Yemeni Oil Company facility in Sanaa ahead of operation.
Evacuation, then strikes
Yemen’s Houthis warned all employees and civilians near Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities to evacuate after Yahya Saree said the sites were “a legitimate target”. The warning followed an evacuation order from the Saudi-led coalition urging civilians to evacuate the Yemeni Oil Company’s al-Sabah central station in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa. Al Jazeera correspondent Yousef Mawry said, “We heard the explosion upon Saudi Arabia targeting the Yemeni oil al-Sabah Central Station here in the capital Sanaa,” after the coalition’s order.
France 24 reported that the Saudi-led coalition demanded “that civilians evacuate the site of the Yemen Petroleum Company, the al-Sabaha Central Station in Sanaa... for their own safety” via spokesman Turki al-Maliki on X. Saudi Arabia also conducted air strikes on Ras Isa port targeting Yemeni oil storage tanks and on an oil station in the Houthi-controlled Hodeidah province, according to Mawry.
Threats across Riyadh
Yahya Saree warned that any strike on Sanaa would meet a “harsh and painful” reprisal on Riyadh, and he said the Houthis would target sites ordered to be evacuated if the coalition proceeded with an attack on Sanaa. Saree named Aramco’s headquarters, King Khalid International Airport and a refinery affiliated with Aramco in Riyadh as sites civilians should leave. France 24 said the Houthi-run health ministry blamed Saudi Arabia for an attack on an oil company in the Red Sea province of Hodeidah that killed two people.
The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted three drones north of Riyadh on Tuesday, and the coalition’s warning came as the kingdom weathered fresh attacks. US President Donald Trump told reporters that the Houthis were “behaving very badly” and said he “might” ask Erdogan to intervene and support Saudi interests.
Regional escalation stakes
The Saudi cabinet chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the Houthis would face “consequences” for their attacks across the kingdom, according to Saudi Press Agency. The Houthis’ threats to strike Aramco facilities came as the coalition urged civilians to leave the al-Sabaha Central Station in Sanaa ahead of a possible strike. Yemen’s Houthis also threatened Saudi Aramco facilities after the coalition’s order, and the Houthis’ military spokesperson Yahya Saree posted on X that the Aramco sites were “a legitimate target for our forces”.
The exchanges unfolded alongside reported attacks on Saudi airports, with the Al Jazeera account describing an attack on King Khalid airport on Saturday that left at least 13 people dead and more than 300 injured. The conflict also fed into travel disruptions, as the Al Jazeera report said many international airlines suspended flights to Saudi Arabia and neighbouring countries after the deadly weekend attacks.