Houthi scout members participate in a protest against Saudi Arabia, in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday. Thousands of Houthi supporters demonstrated in Sanaa to reject Saudi military intervention in Yemen amid escalating attacks. The Houthis also carried out an attack at an oil site near the Riyadh airport. Photo by Yahya Arhab/EPA
Sept. 19 (UPI) — The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen said they carried out drone and missile attacks on Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, near the airport and energy sites on the country’s Red Sea coast.
People reported seeing a column of black smoke rising from what appeared to be fuel tanks near the airport on Saturday, after air raid sirens just hours earlier.
So far, there has been no official comment from Saudi authorities.
Yahya al-Sarea, Houthi military spokesperson, said a “large number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones” were used to attack “sensitive sites” in Riyadh and Aramco facilities in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.
He said the attacks were “in response to the Saudi enemy’s criminal attempts” to target Sanaa, Yemen.
Sarea had earlier accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out 300 strikes across Yemen in the past week.
The Houthis are fighting a civil war with Yemen’s government. Iran backs the Houthis, and Saudi Arabia, along many other countries, backs Yemen.
The Houthis and Saudi Arabia have been trading strikes in recent weeks as the Houthis are trying to block access to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which would cut off access to the Red Sea, while the United States and Iran have blocked the Strait of Hormuz.
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