Houthis announce targeting of Riyadh Airport and Saudi oil pipeline
The Houthis said on October 26 they targeted Riyadh airport with a ballistic missile and pumping stations on the East-West pipeline; the coalition said it intercepted the missile.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea announced, via X, in the early hours of Monday, October 26, that the group targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with a ballistic missile, and carried out drone attacks on crude oil pumping stations along the pipeline stretching between eastern and western Saudi Arabia. The Saudi General Directorate of Civil Defense had earlier announced that the early warning system issued a hazard alert in Riyadh.
Spokesperson for the Saudi-led Coalition, Major General Turki al-Malki, stated that a Houthi ballistic missile targeting Riyadh was intercepted. The announcement comes as Yemen has been experiencing a civil war since September 2014, when the Houthis took control of Sana'a and several provinces, while the coalition has been supporting the recognized Yemeni government since March 2015.
The pipeline, owned by Saudi Aramco, extends about 1,200 kilometers from the Abqaiq region in eastern Saudi Arabia to Yanbu on the Red Sea coast, transporting crude from production and processing facilities in the east to refineries and export terminals on the Red Sea. The line provides an overland alternative for transporting oil to the Red Sea without relying on maritime shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Oilprice platform reported that Saudi Arabia has not issued confirmation regarding damage to the pipeline, and that the airport's partial reopening dates to the earlier closure between October 9 and 17, before the new announcement. In recent months, clashes between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis have escalated, with the Houthis targeting Saudi Arabia with ballistic missiles and drones, accusing the Kingdom of being responsible for attacks against them, while the coalition says it is countering these attacks.
What do these terms mean?
Ballistic missile: A missile that follows an arched trajectory after launch and then descends onto its target, used in long-range attacks.
East-West pipeline: An overland corridor for transporting crude oil from the fields of eastern Saudi Arabia to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea.
Saudi-led coalition: A military alliance led by Riyadh to support the recognized Yemeni government, formed in March 2015.
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