Cairo, Oct 13 : The Saudi-led military coalition on Tuesday carried out airstrikes on oil facilities west of Yemen’s capital Sanaa, triggering fresh threats of retaliation from Houthi rebels amid escalating hostilities in the Middle East.
According to the Associated Press (AP), the strikes targeted the al-Subaha area, where facilities belonging to the Yemeni Oil Company are located.
The attacks followed a warning from the Saudi-led coalition asking civilians to evacuate the oil company premises and nearby storage areas ahead of military operations.
Residents of Sanaa reported hearing explosions, although the full extent of damage to the facilities was not immediately clear.
The Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah television channel reported that Saudi-led forces had targeted oil installations west of the capital.
The Yemeni Oil Company, however, said its storage facilities were empty and maintained that the strikes would not affect fuel reserves or supplies to residents.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree warned that further Saudi attacks on Sanaa would trigger retaliation against the Saudi capital.
Saree said any such attack would be met with a “firm and painful” response in Riyadh, according to AP.
The latest escalation follows a series of Houthi missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia, including a strike on Riyadh’s international airport on Saturday that reportedly killed at least 13 people and injured more than 300.
Saudi authorities are investigating how their air defence systems failed to intercept the missiles and drones involved in the airport attack.
The confrontation has also disrupted international aviation, with several airlines suspending services to Saudi Arabia following repeated Houthi warnings.
Air India has announced the cancellation of its flights to and from Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah until October 17, according to AP.
The renewed fighting comes after Houthi forces seized key areas near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait last month, prompting Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces to launch operations to regain control.
The strait, located between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, is a major maritime route connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and carries international commercial shipping.
The Saudi-led coalition has been attempting to regain territory from Houthi forces while strengthening its defences against missile and drone attacks.
Meanwhile, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty called for an immediate halt to Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia during a telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Egypt also called for diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation in the wider Middle East conflict.
The United States has provided intelligence sharing, target identification and planning support to the Saudi-led military campaign but has so far refrained from directly carrying out strikes against the Houthis, AP reported.
US President Donald Trump criticised the Houthis on Monday but did not indicate whether Washington would undertake direct military action.
The latest strikes and retaliatory threats have heightened concerns over regional security and the possibility of further disruption to shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. (KNS)
