Saudi-Led Coalition Rejects Houthi Claims of Riyadh Attack Amid Heavy Casualties in Yemen

The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government has dismissed claims by the Houthi movement that the Iran-allied armed group targeted Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh, labeling the assertions as “misleading”.

Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki made the remarks on Saturday following Houthi claims of ballistic missile and drone attacks directed at an Aramco oil facility near Riyadh. The group alleged that the assault sparked large fires as clashes between the Houthis and government forces escalate across Yemen.

In statements reported by Saudi media Asharq Al-Awsat late on Saturday, al-Maliki asserted that the Houthis are “attempting to divert attention from the scale of the losses and the growing public anger against them”.

The exchange follows operations by Yemeni forces, who carried out “257 precision targeting operations” against Houthi positions, movements, and military assets on Saturday, according to Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili, spokesman for the internationally recognised government forces. Initial estimates suggest these operations resulted in the deaths of at least 700 Houthi rebels.

Al-Maliki further stated that the Houthis’ “ties to external agendas” have brought “chaos and devastation to Yemen”, adding that setbacks in Taiz “drive them to seek illusory victories”. Early on Sunday, the Saudi-led coalition reported conducting 97 “precise targeting operations” against Houthi reinforcements along the Tor al-Baha front and the Taiz axis using warplanes, drones, artillery, missiles, and snipers.

Conflict between the Houthis and Yemeni government forces has intensified following the collapse of a fragile 2022 truce in July, which has displaced hundreds of thousands of people. In mid-September, the Houthis captured the port city of Mocha and strategic islands in the Bab al-Mandeb strait—a critical route for international oil shipments—before anti-Houthi forces managed to stabilise the front lines. Yemen has remained engulfed in war since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa in 2014, compelling the Yemeni government to retreat to Aden.