Saudi Arabia bombs Yemen, same day its oil facilities near Riyadh burn

Five explosions were heard in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Friday, 3 October, while two warplanes flew over the city and fired missiles. According to correspondents of the French news agency AFP, the explosions rang out in several parts of the city. The Houthi-run Al Masirah television reported a Saudi aggression against the capital, without giving details of targets or possible casualties.

"According to correspondents of the French news agency AFP, five explosions were heard, and two warplanes flew over the city and fired missiles." (translated)

Al Masirah, which is linked to the Houthis, had earlier also reported missile strikes on the telecommunications network in the northwestern province of Saada, considered a stronghold of the Houthi movement. According to the channel, the Saudi military had already bombed Sanaa on Thursday night, the first such attack since fighting flared up again in July.

"Last month the Houthis announced that they had carried out attacks on 'sensitive facilities' in Riyadh and on Aramco facilities in the port city of Yanbu." (translated)

After years of relative calm, Yemen slid back into civil war in July. On one side are the Houthis, who are backed by Iran and control most of northwestern Yemen, including Sanaa. On the other is the internationally recognised government based in Aden, which is backed by Saudi Arabia and controls the more sparsely populated south and east of the country.

"According to the Houthis, Saudi Arabia bombed Sanaa as early as Thursday night, for the first time since fighting flared up again in July." (translated)

The fighting escalated in September, when the Houthis took the entire Red Sea coast and strengthened their control over the Bab al-Mandab strait, which is key to Saudi oil exports. Since then Riyadh has been carrying out air strikes on Yemen, while the Houthis have stepped up attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia, including, in August, an airport and an Aramco facility in the southern region of Najran.

Meanwhile, a fire also broke out south of Riyadh at a facility of the oil giant Aramco, the central company of the Saudi economy and one of the largest oil companies in the world. The circumstances of the fire are not yet known, and the company has been targeted by Houthi forces several times in recent months.

"Powerful explosions were heard today in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, while the Houthis report air strikes by Saudi forces on the area of the city." (translated)

So no one has yet explained the cause of the fire at Aramco, while the Saudi military has meanwhile already sent its response by air over its neighbour's capital.