RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, October 13 (ANI) — The Saudi-led coalition has directed civilians to evacuate a fuel installation in the Houthi-administered Yemeni capital of Sanaa ahead of a planned military operation, as Yemen’s Houthi rebels issue direct threats against Saudi Arabia’s petroleum infrastructure amid intensifying regional hostilities.
Coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki said residents should leave the Yemeni Oil Company’s Al-Sabahah Central Station in Sanaa to ensure their safety. He also shared an illustrative diagram of the premises on the social media platform X.
“The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition requests civilians to evacuate the site of the Yemeni Oil Company / Al-Sabah Central Station in Sana’a, according to the illustrative map of the site, for their safety,” Al-Maliki said.
The coalition previously indicated that an evacuation notice would be issued before a “precision operation” in the Houthi-held capital. Further details about the timing or scope of the offensive have not been released.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have designated energy assets belonging to Saudi Aramco within the kingdom as “a legitimate target,” urging personnel and residents near the facilities to evacuate. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree issued a warning directed at “all employees and citizens present near any facility affiliated with Aramco Oil,” according to the group’s statement.
The warning comes amid an escalation in rebel attacks targeting Saudi infrastructure, including aviation hubs and energy installations. Although the group has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks on Saudi energy sites, individual strikes and the resulting damage require independent confirmation.
The rebels also warned Saudi Arabia against launching offensive operations against Sanaa, threatening severe retaliation against Riyadh if the Yemeni capital is bombed.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces warn the Saudi enemy that any targeting of the capital, Sanaa, will be met with a tough and painful response in the enemy’s capital of Riyadh,” Saree said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition announced that it had intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles headed toward Khamis Mushait, a municipality in southwestern Saudi Arabia. Al-Maliki also reported that three unmanned aerial vehicles had been neutralized north of Riyadh.
The Houthi rebels, meanwhile, claimed to have shot down what they described as a Saudi reconnaissance aircraft. The battlefield claims have not been independently verified.
The escalating conflict has severely disrupted aviation services across Saudi Arabia. On Sunday, October 11, Saudi authorities confirmed that a projectile struck Terminal 4 at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, killing one Pakistani national and injuring 11 others. The incident followed an earlier deadly attack on the facility that killed 12 people and injured more than 300.
The protracted war in Yemen began in 2014, when the Houthis captured Sanaa and ousted the internationally recognized government. The Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to support the government.
The latest escalation has heightened international concerns about the stability of regional energy supplies and maritime trade routes, particularly in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategic maritime passage. Further strikes targeting Saudi petroleum facilities or commercial vessels could increase risks to regional energy supplies and trade. (ANI)
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