Riyadh. In West Asia, tension between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi rebels is continuously increasing. The Houthi organization has claimed that it targeted an Aramco oil facility in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh with ballistic missiles and drones. Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Sari said the attack caused damage to the targets and caused fires. However, Saudi Arabia has rejected Houthi claims of any such attack on Riyadh.
Houthi-backed channel Al-Masirah quoted military spokesman Yahya Sari as saying that a missile and drone operation was launched targeting Aramco in Riyadh. The Houthi side says that after the attack, a cloud of fire and smoke was seen near an Aramco facility. Some pictures and videos of this incident have also been claimed to have surfaced. However, these photographs do not independently confirm the attack. Saudi officials have also not accepted the attack on Riyadh.
Major General Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led Yemen coalition, described the Houthis' claims of an attack on Riyadh as misleading. According to Saudi media, he said the Houthis were trying to show an 'imaginary victory' to divert attention from their losses. According to him, the Houthis have suffered heavy losses on the important front of Taiz. Al-Maliki said the Houthis were spreading the story of the alleged attack on Riyadh to divert people's attention from their huge losses.
Houthi rebels have also earlier claimed an attack against Aramco in the Yanbu area of Saudi Arabia. The Houthi side has also talked about targeting Yanbu Port and some pictures related to it have been claimed to have surfaced. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia had said that it had stopped 6 missiles. The Houthis are continuously threatening to target Saudi Arabia's oil and energy-related infrastructure. Amidst these attacks, there is increased concern that oil and gas prices will be affected in the world markets.
Houthi rebels say that Saudi Arabia has imposed a blockade against them. They claim that until this blockade is lifted, attacks on Saudi cities will continue. Fighters of Houthi organization Ansarullah are threatening to target different parts of Saudi Arabia with missiles and drones. The Houthi side has also warned that if Saudi Arabia launches a major military attack, it will be responded to with an attack twice as big.
Saudi Arabia's next strategy is also under watch amid Houthi attacks. According to reports, Saudi Arabia is preparing to launch a major military operation against the Houthis. An important goal of this is said to be to end the dominance of Houthis in Bab-al-Mandeb area. Meanwhile, there are also reports that Saudi Arabia is expecting help from America and also expects support from Pakistan. However, many things are still not clear regarding this potentially big operation.
Amid claims of alleged attack on Riyadh, Saudi Arabia has taken strong action against Houthi bases in Yemen. According to the report, Saudi fighter planes carried out airstrikes in Sana'a, Saada, Taiz, Hajja, Amran and Al-Bayda. More than 90 air strikes have been reported from the Saudi side within 5 hours. The Houthi side claims that Saudi planes carried out 26 attacks on the capital Sanaa alone. However, these figures and losses have not been independently confirmed.
Sanaa is considered the main stronghold of Houthi rebels. According to the Houthi side, continuous air strikes were carried out here. Apart from this, heavy bombardment was also carried out in Saada. Saada is also considered an important stronghold of the Houthi organization. According to reports, a communication center associated with Houthi media was targeted there. After these attacks, the conflict in Yemen is becoming more intense. Let us tell you that a few days ago, Houthis had claimed to have shot down a Saudi Arabian fighter plane.
Fighting continues on the ground along with air strikes in the Taiz area of Yemen. The forces of the internationally recognized Yemeni government are targeting Houthi positions and their military supplies. According to the Aden-based Sabah News Agency, Yemeni armed forces conducted 97 operations against reinforcements coming to help Houthi fighters on the Tur al-Baha and Taiz fronts. These actions claimed to have killed or neutralized 260 Houthi fighters and destroyed or damaged 44 military vehicles and supply lines.