Yemen’s Houthis said on Saturday, October 24, that they had carried out seven missile and drone attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia, including airports and Saudi Aramco facilities. The Riyadh-led coalition reported intercepting the missiles; it is not known whether any targets were hit.
According to Reuters, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree named as targets King Khalid Airport in Riyadh, King Fahd Airport in Dammam, Najran airport and the Khamis Mushait air base. Among energy facilities, he listed Aramco installations in Yanbu, the Rabigh refinery, oil pumping stations and the East–West pipeline. RT, citing Saree’s post on X, reported that the attack was meant as a response to Saudi „aggression” against Yemen.
What Riyadh says
The coalition fighting the Houthis told Reuters that it had shot down two missiles, whose debris fell in the Mecca and Medina regions. The Houthis denied targeting those cities and said their operations aimed at Saudi oil facilities and military bases. Agencies stressed that it was unclear whether the attacks reached their targets or were intercepted, and Saudi authorities have not confirmed any hits.
On Sunday, October 25, CNBC reported that Saudi Arabia had announced the interception of further missiles and drones. The same day, King Khalid Airport resumed operations: Terminal 1 handles domestic flights and Terminal 2 international ones. The airport had been suspended on October 10 after a strike.
Background to the escalation
The Houthis claim Saudi forces carried out 100 airstrikes within a single day, mainly on Sanaa, and according to rebel-controlled media, 16 people were killed (AFP; the figures have not been independently verified). According to RT, the conflict escalated in September, when the Houthis seized the ports of Mocha and Dhubab and the island of Perim in the Bab el-Mandeb strait. Reuters wrote that fighting had flared up again against the backdrop of the war with Iran.
The attacks on Saudi infrastructure have been going on for weeks. Reuters and Al Jazeera reported on October 22 that two people were killed after a drone heading for an Aramco facility in the Shaybah oil field was intercepted, and about an attack on King Fahd Airport. Earlier, we reported on the attack on the Aramco building in Dhahran, confirmed by Riyadh, when Brent crude cost over $106. According to the agency, Aramco then ordered the evacuation of personnel from its Dhahran headquarters.
The Houthis also warned airlines against using Saudi airspace, except for the Mecca and Medina region. Rp.pl writes about announced attacks on Saudi commercial ships. For earlier Houthi actions against Israel, see our article on Israeli airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.
What it means
The attacks on Yanbu, Rabigh and the East–West pipeline affect a key route for Saudi oil exports from the Red Sea coast, which is why the oil market reacts to every report of damage. Travelers planning flights via Riyadh or Dammam should expect disruptions and check airline notices. Any rise in oil prices could feed into fuel prices in Poland with a delay. As of publication, Riyadh has not provided a full tally of the attacks or confirmed damage to Aramco facilities.
