Houthis, Saudi-led coalition trade fresh strikes as Houthis vow further attacks on airports, oil facilities

RIYADH/SANAA, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- Fighting between the Saudi-led coalition and Yemen's Houthi group continued on Wednesday, with both sides carrying out fresh attacks and the Houthis vowing to continue targeting airports and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia in the coming days.

This handout photo provided by Houthi Media Center shows the launch of a drone allegedly toward Mocha in Yemen, on Aug. 9, 2026. (File photo: Houthi Media Center/Handout via Xinhua)

In a statement posted on social media platform X, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the group's forces targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with a ballistic missile, claiming it was a "precise and direct" hit.

The announcement came hours after the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis toward Riyadh. Loud explosions were heard in the Saudi capital earlier in the day, while residents received aerial-threat alerts on mobile apps.

The Saudi Civil Defense said later in the day that one Arab resident was injured and a residential building and a vehicle sustained minor damage after debris from an intercepted ballistic missile launched by the Houthis fell in Riyadh.

Earlier in the day, Sarea claimed a large-scale missile and drone attack targeting Saudi energy giant Aramco in Dhahran in the Eastern Province, as well as King Khalid International Airport and an Aramco refinery in Riyadh. He said the operation was carried out in retaliation for Saudi strikes.

Sarea vowed that the group's attacks "deep inside Saudi Arabia" would continue in the coming days, targeting airports and oil facilities. He also renewed a warning to international airlines, civilians and employees to stay away from airports and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia that the group had designated as targets.

Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported Wednesday that an unnamed Houthi military source advised Aramco shareholders to "dispose of their shares" to avoid potential losses in the coming days, without providing further details on the basis for the warning or whether it was linked to possible further Houthi attacks on Aramco.

Meanwhile, fighting and airstrikes continued across Yemen. Sarea said Wednesday evening on X that Saudi-led coalition forces had carried out 42 strikes using warplanes and missiles on what he described as civilian facilities in the capital Sanaa and the provinces of Taiz, Lahj, Marib and Amran, as well as Mayyun Island in the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Majid Al-Nuzaili, spokesperson for Yemen's government forces, said in a statement that the forces had carried out 2,309 "precise and direct" attacks against Houthi positions using warplanes, drones, field artillery, rocket launchers and sniper units.

The spokesperson claimed the operations had neutralized about 1,250 Houthi fighters and destroyed or damaged more than 460 military vehicles and other equipment.

The Houthis, meanwhile, said they had fired three ballistic missiles at gatherings of government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition in the Ras al-Arah and Al-Mudarabah areas of southern Lahj province, causing a large number of casualties and damage to several military vehicles.

The continued fighting drew fresh regional reactions. During a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in Riyadh on Wednesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi condemned the attack targeting King Khalid International Airport and attacks on civilian and vital facilities in Saudi Arabia, describing them as a threat to regional security and stability.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to protecting Saudi Arabia's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity as well as its support for the kingdom's legitimate right to self-defense.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.