Saudi Arabia strikes Yemen capital as Houthis vow to retaliate
USO•A Saudi-led coalition said it struck a fuel depot and other sites in Yemen, after the Houthis threatened a harsh response to any attacks on Sanaa. Yemen Petroleum Company said the depot held no petroleum stocks and the strike did not affect reserves or supply chains.
1. Coalition strikes depot
The Houthis said Saudi Arabia was attacking Sanaa on Tuesday after the Saudi-led coalition warned civilians to stay away from an oil depot on the city’s outskirts. Houthi-run Al-Masirah television reported the coalition targeted the Yemen Petroleum Company’s Sabah central station. The coalition said it attacked the station and other sites in Sanaa, Hodeidah and Dhamar to reduce Houthi capabilities.
2. Retaliation threatened
The Houthis had threatened a “harsh and painful” response to strikes on Sanaa. Spokesperson Yahya Saree said potential targets could include Saudi Aramco’s headquarters in Dhahran and an oil refinery in Riyadh, and the group told Saudi oil workers to stay away from sites that could be targeted.
3. Conflict widens
The strikes came after a week of Houthi attacks on Saudi airports, including a Saturday strike on Riyadh that killed 13 people. Saudi Arabia resumed its military campaign in Yemen in support of the internationally recognised government, as fighting intensified near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and around Taiz.
