Riyadh(The COW News Digital)The Saudi-led coalition operating in Yemen has rejected a claim by the Houthi movement that it carried out an attack on Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, describing the allegation as misleading.
The Houthis had claimed that they targeted facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco in Riyadh using ballistic missiles and drones. The group also alleged that the attack caused a fire at one of the facilities. However, the Saudi-led coalition has denied the claim, while the reported attack has not been independently verified.
Coalition spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Malki said the Houthi movement was attempting to divert attention from developments in Yemen, particularly the casualties reported during recent fighting in the Taiz province.
According to Al-Malki, the Houthis were also seeking to counter growing public anger against the group by presenting what he described as exaggerated or fabricated military successes.
The Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, had announced on Saturday that the group targeted an Aramco facility in Riyadh with missiles and drones. He claimed that the operation resulted in a fire at the site.
The competing accounts have added to uncertainty surrounding the reported incident, as there has been no independent confirmation of the Houthi claim. The Saudi-led coalition has maintained that the allegation does not accurately reflect events in Riyadh.
The latest exchange of claims comes as fighting has intensified significantly in Yemen’s Taiz province. Military forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government have reportedly conducted a series of ground and air operations against Houthi positions in recent days.
According to reports cited by Reuters, as many as 20 airstrikes were reported during one phase of the recent fighting in Taiz, highlighting the renewed intensity of military activity in the region.
The escalation is significant because Taiz holds strategic importance within Yemen and lies along routes connected to the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb, one of the world’s key maritime passages. Any sustained deterioration in the security situation could therefore have broader implications for regional stability and international shipping.
Yemen had experienced a period of relative calm following the 2022 truce, but tensions between Saudi-backed Yemeni forces and the Iran-aligned Houthi movement have increased again in recent weeks.
The renewed confrontation has raised concerns that localized fighting could expand and undermine efforts aimed at maintaining a broader reduction in hostilities.
Saudi Arabia has supported Yemen’s internationally recognized government during the country’s prolonged conflict, while the Houthis control significant areas of northern Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa.
The latest dispute over the alleged Riyadh attack illustrates the continuing information battle between the two sides, with each attempting to shape the narrative surrounding developments on the battlefield.
For now, the Houthi claim of an attack on an Aramco facility in Riyadh remains disputed. The Saudi-led coalition has firmly rejected the allegation, while independent confirmation of the reported missile and drone strike remains unavailable.
With fighting intensifying in Taiz and tensions rising elsewhere, developments in Yemen are likely to remain closely monitored across the region.
