Houthis claim drone strikes on Saudi airport and Aramco site
The Houthis said Thursday that they carried out two drone strikes against targets in Najran, southern Saudi Arabia. The group said one strike hit a “sensitive” site at Najran airport and the other targeted an Aramco facility near the Yemeni border. Saudi Arabia has not confirmed or commented on the reported attacks.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced the operations in a statement published on Telegram. He described both strikes as successful. The claims come after a series of Houthi drone operations against Saudi infrastructure that have increased since July.
The attacks add to growing hostilities between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. The Najran airport has been targeted several times in recent weeks. In early August, a drone strike reportedly damaged the airport’s main radar and led to an indefinite suspension of operations.
On August 13, Houthi forces also claimed responsibility for another drone attack against a Saudi Aramco facility in Najran. The group has increasingly targeted airports and oil infrastructure as tensions with Saudi Arabia have intensified.
Iran issues warning to Saudi Arabia
Hours before the Houthi announcement, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a warning to Riyadh. IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebi told Defa Press that Saudi Arabia would be unable to contain Yemen and Ansarullah, another name used for the Houthis, or avoid their attacks.
“As we have seen in recent days, the more Saudi Arabia attacks, the more it is hit back,” Mohebi said. His remarks represented a direct acknowledgment from Tehran of the Houthi campaign against Saudi targets.
The latest strikes come after weeks of escalating hostilities. The conflict resumed in July when the Houthis received an Iranian aircraft in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, ending the 2022 truce according to the source.
The Houthis later announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began targeting ships, airports and oil facilities.
A Yemeni minister also warned this week that the Houthis were planning to seize territory along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Such a move would give the group greater leverage over a vital maritime route linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
Three Houthi military sources told AFP that the group planned to move south from its current positions. The reported plan adds another dimension to the widening confrontation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia.
