Saudi Arabia vows resilience as Houthi strikes hit Riyadh airport
YemenâÂÂs Houthis have warned all employees and civilians near Saudi ArabiaâÂÂs oil facilities to evacuate, calling the sites âÂÂa legitimate targetâÂÂ.
The warning on Tuesday from the groupâÂÂs spokesman, Yahya Saree, was prompted by an evacuation order from the Saudi-led coalition urging civilians to evacuate Yemeni Oil CompanyâÂÂs al-Sabah central station in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa.
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Shortly after the Saudi-led coalitionâÂÂs evacuation order, Al JazeeraâÂÂs team on the ground reported hearing explosions in Sanaa. Media outlets affiliated with the Houthis said air strikes by the Saudi-backed forces struck an oil facility in the al-Sabaha area of the capital.
âÂÂWe heard the explosion upon Saudi Arabia targeting the Yemeni oil al-Sabah Central Station here in the capital Sanaa,â Al Jazeera correspondent Yousef Mawry said.
Saudi Arabia also conducted two other airstrike campaigns on the Ras Issa port targeting Yemeni oil storage tanks and on an oil station in the Houthi-controlled Hodeidah province, according to Mawry.
Following the reported explosions, Saree said Houthi fighters were confronting Saudi-backed forces in Sanaa.
Saree responded to the coalitionâÂÂs evacuation order, warning that any strikes on Sanaa would be met with a âÂÂharsh and painfulâ response in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh.
In a statement on X, Saree said the Houthis would target the sites that were ordered to be evacuated if the Saudi-led coalition proceeded with an attack on Sanaa.
Civilians were told to evacuate the Aramco Company headquarters in Dammam, King Khalid International Airport and a refinery affiliated with Aramco in Riyadh.
âÂÂThe Ansar Allah Houthi group have not yet launched any attacks, but people are expecting there to be retaliations,â Mawry said.
An attack on King Khalid International Airport on Saturday left at least 13 people dead and more than 300 injured, rocking the worldâÂÂs top crude oil exporter. Another person was killed, and 11 were wounded on Sunday after a projectile struck the airport in Riyadh.
Many international airlines have since suspended flights toàSaudi â â Arabia and â â neighbouring countries following the deadly weekend attacks by the Houthis, including Air France-KLM, Air India, Etihad, Lufthansa, Delta, Gulf Air and Qatar Airways.
The kingdom, which backs YemenâÂÂs internationally recognised government, was still weathering new attacks on Tuesday, with the coalition saying its forces intercepted three drones north of Riyadh.
Saree also reiterated the Houthisâ warning to airports in Saudi Arabia following recent attacks on multiple airports and oil facilities across the country since last week in a spillover from the wider regional conflict between the US and Iran.
Saudi Arabia has in recent â â weeks launched strikes against the Houthis and is backing a Yemeni government counteroffensive known as the âÂÂDawn of Yemenâ after the group seized strategic territory along the Red Sea coast âÂÂâÂÂlast month.
Saudi ArabiaâÂÂs cabinet, chaired â by Crown Prince â Mohammed bin Salman, said on Tuesday the HouthiâÂÂs would face âÂÂconsequencesâ for their attacks across the kingdom, according to the Saudi Press Agency.