Sanaa (AFP) – Yemen's regular army announced on Sunday that it had bombed the capital Sanaa, held by the pro-Iranian Houthis, who claimed to have attacked a site of the oil giant Aramco in Riyadh the day before, from where flames rose according to an AFP journalist.

Published on: 03/10/2026 - 2:20 p.m. Modified on: 04/10/2026 - 01:39

Hostilities between the Houthis on the one hand and Saudi Arabia and the internationally recognized Yemeni government on the other have not let up since their resumption in July, which opened a new front in the war in the Middle East.

The Houthis had already claimed to have targeted installations of the Saudi oil group twice: last month in the port city of Yanbu, the kingdom's main oil terminal, and in August in the south of the kingdom.

Houthi forces “carried out a large-scale military operation, using several ballistic missiles and drones to target Aramco in the capital of the Saudi enemy,” said the military spokesperson for the anti-government movement, Yahya Saree.

The “precise and direct” strikes caused “fires on the targeted sites”, he added.

An AFP journalist had previously seen flames and smoke rising from an Aramco facility, south of Riyadh.

Saudi authorities did not immediately comment on the fire.

The Almasirah channel, affiliated with the Houthis, had previously indicated that "enemy planes" had carried out 26 strikes during the day on Sanaa - targeted for the first time in years on Thursday, according to the Houthis -, without providing details on possible victims.

In Sanaa, an AFP correspondent heard at least five explosions in different areas, while another saw two fighter planes launch missiles.

Almasirah had also earlier reported Saudi missile attacks against "the telecommunications network in the Saada region", a stronghold of the Houthis in northern Yemen.

– “Devastating” crisis –

Fighting in Yemen intensified in September, with a lightning offensive by the Houthis. Pro-Iranian fighters seized the coastline on the Red Sea, strengthening their hold on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, after declaring a blockade of the Saudi fleet.

This strait has gained importance since navigation on the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic passage for global hydrocarbon trade on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula, has experienced strong restrictions imposed by Iran at the end of February after the outbreak of war by Israeli-American strikes.

The latest land offensive led by the Houthis has left hundreds dead and is worsening the humanitarian crisis facing the country.

The hunger crisis in Yemen, the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula, threatens to become "absolutely devastating", the UN World Food Program (WFP) warned on Friday.

While diplomatic negotiations for a settlement of the regional conflict are stalling, the American news site Axios, citing three American officials, reported a meeting on Friday at Camp David of the main members of Donald Trump's cabinet to discuss the next steps towards Iran and the situation in Yemen.

Riyadh's calls for international aid, particularly from its American ally, have so far been unsuccessful.

© 2026 AFP

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