Yemen's Houthis said they targeted a site of oil giant Aramco in Riyadh on Saturday, where flames rose. Shortly before, they blamed the Saudi army for 26 air raids on Sanaa, the capital of Yemen which they control.

Published on: 03/10/2026 - 15:54 Modified on: 03/10/2026 - 22:34

Renewed tension between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. Pro-Iranian Yemeni rebels claimed to have targeted a site of the oil giant Aramco in Riyadh on Saturday, October 3, after attributing 26 air raids on Sanaa, the capital of Yemen under their control, to the Saudi army.

Hostilities between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia have not let up since they resumed in July, opening a new front in the war in the Middle East.

Read also Attacked by the Houthis, Saudi Arabia discovers the limits of its alliance with Washington

The Houthis had already claimed to have targeted installations of the Saudi oil group twice: last month in the port city of Yanbu, the kingdom's main oil terminal, and in August in southern Saudi Arabia.

Houthi forces “carried out a large-scale military operation, using several ballistic missiles and drones to target Aramco in the capital of the Saudi enemy,” said the military spokesperson for the anti-government movement, Yahya Saree. The “precise and direct” strikes caused “fires on the targeted sites”, he added.

At least five explosions in Sanaa

An Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalist had earlier seen flames and smoke rising from an Aramco facility, south of the kingdom's capital. Saudi authorities did not immediately comment on the fire.

The Almasirah channel, affiliated with the Houthis, had for its part indicated earlier that "enemy planes" from the kingdom had carried out 26 strikes during the day on Sanaa - targeted for the first time in years on Thursday, according to the Houthis -, without providing details on possible victims.

Also read: Why did the Yemeni forces fail to stop the Houthi offensive?

In the Yemeni capital, an AFP correspondent heard at least five explosions in different areas, while another saw two fighter planes launch missiles.

Almasirah had also earlier reported Saudi missile attacks against "the telecommunications network in the Saada region", a stronghold of the Houthis in northern Yemen.

Yemen's hunger crisis threatens to become 'absolutely devastating'

Fighting in Yemen intensified in September, with a lightning offensive by the Houthis. They seized the coastline on the Red Sea, strengthening their hold on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, after declaring a blockade of the Saudi fleet.

This strait has gained importance since navigation on the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic passage for global hydrocarbon trade on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula, has experienced strong restrictions imposed by Iran at the end of February after the outbreak of war by Israeli-American strikes.

Also read: How the confrontation between Iran and the United States reignited the war in Yemen

The latest land offensive led by the Houthis has left hundreds dead and is worsening the humanitarian crisis facing the country. The hunger crisis in Yemen, the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula, threatens to become "absolutely devastating", the UN World Food Program warned on Friday.

While diplomatic negotiations for a settlement of the regional conflict are stalling, the American news site Axios, citing three American officials, reported a meeting on Friday at Camp David of the main members of Donald Trump's cabinet to discuss the next steps towards Iran and the situation in Yemen.

Riyadh's calls for international aid, particularly from its American ally, have so far been unsuccessful.

With AFP

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