Key facts
- Saudi-led coalition forces struck a fuel depot near Sanaa, Yemen.
- The coalition stated the al-Sabaha facility was used to fuel Houthi missile and drone attacks.
- Houthi media reported the facility was struck before the coalition confirmed it.
- The Houthi-run Yemen Petroleum Company assured Sanaa residents of sufficient fuel supplies.
- The Houthis threatened to retaliate by targeting airports and Aramco facilities in Riyadh and Dammam.
- Recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia killed 13 people in Riyadh and one person the following day.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen conducted an airstrike on a fuel depot near the Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa, on Tuesday. Coalition spokesperson Maj Gen Turki al-Maliki stated that the al-Sabaha facility was being used by the Houthis to fuel their war effort, including missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia. The coalition had previously warned civilians to evacuate the site ahead of the operation.
Following the strike, the Houthi-run Yemen Petroleum Company assured residents of Sanaa that sufficient fuel supplies were available and that the facility did not contain any stock of petroleum products. The company also stated that precautionary measures were in place to ensure the stability of supply.
The Houthis, however, warned of retaliation, threatening to target airports and Aramco facilities in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, and the eastern city of Dammam. This comes after recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, including a missile strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh that killed 13 people, and another attack the following day that killed one person. On Tuesday, the coalition also announced it had destroyed three drones north of Riyadh.
Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war since 2014, escalating in 2015 when the Saudi-led coalition intervened. An informal ceasefire that began in July has been unraveling, with the Houthis launching missile and drone attacks on Saudi targets in response to what they call a Saudi blockade and air strikes on their territory.