Houthis claim drone strikes on Saudi defense ministry, airports and Aramco facility

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed Thursday (local time) to have struck four major Saudi Arabian facilities, including the kingdom's defense ministry headquarters, two international airports and a state oil company installation.

Yahya Sari, the Houthi military spokesperson, said in a statement that the group had "carried out four major military operations deep inside Saudi territory over the past 48 hours" using ballistic missiles and drones.

Sari said the first target was the defense ministry headquarters building in the Saudi capital Riyadh, which he said was hit with precision. He added that the rebels then struck King Fahd International Airport in the eastern city of Dammam, disrupting air traffic.

According to Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation, the strike on King Fahd International Airport on Wednesday killed two people and wounded eight.

Sari said the rebels also hit an Aramco facility in Yanbu, igniting a fire, and carried out a precision strike on Abha International Airport.

The Houthis said the attacks were a direct response to what they described as 100 days of hostile acts and military escalation by the Saudi-led coalition.

The statement said "the criminal Saudi enemy" had conducted more than 2,900 airstrikes and missile strikes targeting civilian infrastructure, causing more than 562 casualties — predominantly women and children.

The group also warned against Saudi threats targeting Yemeni tribes.

"If Saudi Arabia carries out its threats, the consequences will be catastrophic and unpredictable," Sari said. "We will have no choice but to exercise significant military options we did not originally seek, and full responsibility for all resulting repercussions will rest entirely with Saudi Arabia."

He added that the Houthis would continue operations targeting Saudi troop concentrations and sites deep inside the kingdom until Saudi attacks ceased and the blockade on Yemen was lifted.