In brief
The Saudi-led coalition announced a "special operation" that struck the al‑Sabaha oil depot near the Houthi‑controlled capital of Sanaa. Major General Turki al‑Maliki blamed the facility for fueling missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia’s military and civilian targets. The Houthis have threatened to hit Saudi airports, the Aramco refinery and headquarters in retaliation. The strike has heightened tensions amid ongoing clashes that have killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands.
Saudi coalition launches strike on Sanaa fuel depot
The Saudi-led coalition said it had targeted the al‑Sabaha oil facility in Yemen’s Houthi‑controlled capital of Sanaa, a move the coalition claims is aimed at curbing the group’s missile and drone operations against Saudi Arabia.
According to Maj Gen Turki al‑Maliki, the depot was used to supply the Houthis with the fuel necessary for “strategic and operational firepower.” The announcement came after the coalition had warned civilians to vacate the area before the airstrike, a warning confirmed by Houthi media after the bombing.
The Housethe have threatened to hit Saudi airports, the Aramco refinery in Riyadh, and the company’s headquarters in Dammam in retaliation. The alarm came amid a series of Saudi‑backed airstrikes on Yemen territory that have deadened civilian life and triggered a wave of missile and drone attacks on Saudi infrastructure.
In September the Houthis seized part of Yemen’s southwest coast near the Bab al‑Mandab Strait, a vital shipping lane, before being pushed back by Saudi‑backed forces. The conflict has now left more than 216,000 people displaced and sees a rising toll of civilian casualties, with the UN reporting at least 54 civilians killed since August.
The striped oil facility remains officially closed to the public, with Yemen Petroleum Company officials maintaining that “no petroleum stock lies within its premises.” Despite the assurances, residents flocked to petrol stations in Sanaa, anxiously preparing for potential shortages.
The latest strike underscored a broader pattern of escalating hostilities, where each side seeks to outgun the other over control of strategic resources and international power dynamics. The Saudi coalition, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has pledged to confront the group’s “consequences” for recent attacks the kingdom has endured.
