Yemen's Houthi Rebels Claim Attacks on Riyadh Airport and Saudi Oil Pipeline

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels announced on the 24th (local time) that they launched surprise attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and the East-West crude oil pipeline, a key energy infrastructure, in retaliation for large-scale airstrikes by Saudi Arabia.

Yahya Saree, the military spokesperson for the Houthi rebels, claimed in a statement that they carried out simultaneous attacks on seven major military and industrial facilities across the Saudi mainland.

According to the statement, the targets of the Houthi attacks included Riyadh Airport, the East-West pipeline, facilities of the state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco in Yanbu on the Red Sea coast, the Rabigh refinery, King Fahd International Airport in Dammam in the eastern region, Najran Airport in the south, and the Khamis Mushait air base.

These airports and oil facilities are locations that the Houthi rebels have consistently attacked.

On the 10th, King Khalid International Airport suffered a Houthi missile attack that resulted in 13 deaths.

The East-West pipeline, a detour for Saudi oil exports, had its operations halted due to a drone attack last month presumed to be the work of an Iran-backed militia in Iraq, which caused international oil prices to spike.

In his statement, Spokesperson Saree claimed, "This is a response to Saudi Arabia's brutal aggression, which launched about 100 airstrikes over the past 24 hours targeting civilian infrastructure in the capital Sanaa and liberated areas [of Yemen], causing dozens of martyrs and injuries," adding, "Since the escalation of hostilities, Saudi airstrikes and missile attacks targeting our country have reached a total of 3,123."

He warned, "Our operations will continue deep into Saudi territory, and we will establish the formula of blockade for blockade and escalation for escalation until the aggression stops and the siege is lifted, striking the gathering places of the Saudi enemy forces."

Saudi authorities have not officially confirmed the reports of the attacks on Riyadh Airport, the East-West pipeline, or the Red Sea oil export port of Yanbu.

However, the Saudi side only announced that it intercepted two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi rebels targeting Yanbu and Taif, a highland city located in Makkah Province.

In connection with this, the Saudi Civil Defense Directorate stated that debris from the intercepted missiles fell in the areas of Mecca and Medina, Islam's holiest sites visited by millions of Muslim pilgrims every year.

Authorities explained, "Missile fragments fell in Wadi Mugamass in Mecca, and debris also fell in the regions of Jeddah, Taif, and Rabigh."

The Houthi rebels immediately issued a statement denying that they attacked Mecca and Medina, countering that their operations "targeted Saudi oil facilities and military bases."

Meanwhile, the Houthi rebels separately claimed to have also struck a naval base under Saudi military control and the Al-Nasr military base located in Aden, the interim capital of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.