Saudi Arabia Launches Retaliatory Airstrikes on Houthi Oil Facilities, Hits Major Yemeni Cities (Update)
Airstrikes Hit Major Cities Including Sanaa and Hodeidah
Houthis Continue Missile Attacks on Riyadh
Saudi Arabia launched retaliatory airstrikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels, heavily targeting oil facilities in major cities, including the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, which is controlled by the Houthis. As the war intensifies, Israel has also voiced its willingness to support Saudi Arabia, raising the prospect that Yemen's civil war could spread across the Middle East.
According to Arab News, a local media outlet, on October 13 local time, the Saudi-led coalition carried out airstrikes on Sanaa, the Yemeni capital controlled by the Houthi rebels, as well as other major cities, including Hodeidah and Dhamar. In a statement, coalition spokesman Turki Al-Maliki said, "It was confirmed that the Houthi rebels were exploiting civilian facilities and key infrastructure for military purposes, so we carried out a precision military operation to neutralize them." He added, "The main targets included the Al-Sabah Central Base in Sanaa, underground reserve fuel storage facilities, and fuel transport and loading tanks and docks in Hodeidah and Dhamar."
The Houthi rebels acknowledged the Saudi airstrikes but said they had caused no significant damage. Al Masirah TV, which is affiliated with the Houthi rebels, reported, "Saudi Arabia and the coalition struck the Al-Sabah Central Base on the outskirts of Sanaa, but there were no petroleum products stored there."
Saudi Arabia and the coalition issued an emergency evacuation order to civilians near the facilities before carrying out the airstrikes. The strikes are seen as retaliation for an earlier Houthi attack targeting King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. On October 10, the Houthi attack on the airport caused heavy casualties, killing 13 people and injuring around 300.
Following the Saudi and coalition airstrikes in Yemen, the Houthi rebels also launched retaliatory strikes on Riyadh and other major Saudi cities. The Saudi military said it had "intercepted Houthi ballistic missiles targeting Dhahran and Dammam, where Aramco's headquarters is located, as well as Harad." Some missile fragments reportedly fell in residential areas.
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As fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi rebels intensifies, Israel has also voiced its willingness to support Saudi Arabia, and the conflict appears to be gradually widening. The Israeli daily Haaretz, citing diplomatic sources, reported on October 13 that "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is preparing airstrikes against the Houthi rebels and is seeking Saudi Arabia's approval." On the same day, U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan each spoke by phone with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss the situation.
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