Yemen14 October, 20262 min read
Saudi Arabia Strikes Oil Sites in Western Yemen, Intercepts Houthi Missiles as Houthi Threatens U.S.
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Saudi-led coalition strikes oil sites in western Yemen, including Sanaa. Coalition intercepts two Houthi ballistic missiles aimed at Saudi Arabia.
New strikes, threats
Saudi Arabia’s coalition confirmed it struck oil sites across western Yemen on Tuesday, including in the capital Sanaa, and it also said it intercepted and destroyed two Houthi ballistic missiles fired at the kingdom’s east. The U.S.-Iran Live Updates account said debris from two intercepted missiles fell on residential parts of Riyadh, and it reported that four people were injured.
The same live updates account said a Houthi official threatened a “swift and painful” response if the U.S. joins Saudi Arabia’s strikes against the Iran-backed group. The U.S.-Iran Live Updates account also said a limited fire broke out in an administrative building in Aramco, one of the world’s largest oil facilities, in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, and it reported that no injuries were reported.
Riyadh attack and escalation
The King Khalid Airport in Riyadh was struck by a missile on Saturday, killing 12 people and injuring more than 300. The U.S.-Iran Live Updates account said the new strikes came after at least 20 people, including a U.S. national, were killed in a week of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia’s main airport.
The Saudis launched a counter-offensive against the Houthis to push them back from the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and Saturday’s attack was the third such attack in a week. The U.S.-Iran Live Updates account reported that the attack comes as the Iranian-backed Houthis and the Saudi coalition exchanged attacks Tuesday night.
Alliance calculus and Yemen
President Donald Trump was considering joining the Saudi strikes, while it also described Washington as providing intelligence and targeting assistance without direct military intervention. Trump’s hesitation included concern about weapons stocks depleted by the war in Iran, and it also framed another explanation around Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s refusal to join the Abraham Accords.
The war’s regional effects included a new phase of escalation for the Yemeni civil war, describing shifts in power balances and regional alliances. The Yemeni civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis, backed by Iran and seeking greater autonomy, seized control of Sanaa, and it said a Saudi-led international coalition launched a military campaign in 2015 to drive them out of areas under their control.