Aden (South24 Center)

Saudi military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki said Tuesday, October 13, that Saudi forces had carried out strikes on fuel facilities in Yemen, including the Yemen Petroleum Company’s Al-Sabah Central Station west of Sanaa. The announcement was issued under the name “Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen,” a designation Riyadh continues to use, although the coalition no longer operates on the ground in its former form following the UAE’s withdrawal in January 2026. The UAE had been its last partner with a direct military presence in Yemen.

Al-Maliki said the strikes targeted the Al-Sabah station, underground fuel reserves and storage tanks, as well as fuel transport and offloading facilities in Sanaa, Hodeidah and Dhamar. He accused the Houthis of using the sites to support their military operations. Residents and Houthi-affiliated media reported hearing explosions near the Sanaa facility. The Yemen Petroleum Company said its tanks were empty and supplies would not be affected. No independent damage assessment was available.

In Hodeidah, the Houthi-run Health Ministry said a Saudi strike hit an oil company facility in the Ras Isa area, killing two people and wounding two others. The casualty figures could not be independently verified.

The Houthis said they had targeted Aramco facilities in Dhahran, an Aramco refinery in Riyadh and King Khalid International Airport with ballistic and cruise missiles and drones. Saudi authorities confirmed that an administrative building at the Aramco complex in Dhahran was hit, causing a limited fire but no injuries. Sources cited by Reuters said several floors were damaged, while the company’s operations continued as normal. Damage to the refinery or airport in the latest attack was not confirmed.

The Dhahran complex houses a major Aramco operations center, but the damaged building was administrative, not a production or refining facility. Saudi Civil Defense said debris from two intercepted missiles damaged 15 homes in Riyadh and injured four people. Al-Maliki also said a ballistic missile headed toward the capital was intercepted on Wednesday. The developments follow repeated Houthi attacks on King Khalid International Airport, including a strike on Saturday that killed 13 people, Reuters reported.

The attacks on fuel facilities in Yemen and the Aramco complex mark an escalation toward energy infrastructure. However, available reports do not indicate any halt to Saudi oil production or exports, or a widespread fuel shortage in Houthi-controlled areas.

In July 2024, Israeli strikes damaged or destroyed at least 29 oil storage tanks at Hodeidah port and damaged two cargo cranes, according to Human Rights Watch. The organization said the strikes shut down Hodeidah’s power plant for 12 hours and destroyed about 780,000 liters of fuel belonging to the World Food Programme.

In April 2025, U.S. forces struck the Ras Isa oil port, saying the aim was to cut off fuel and revenue to the Houthis. The group’s Health Ministry reported at least 74 people killed.

No new truce had been announced by Wednesday, despite mediation efforts by Oman, Russia and China, according to a Houthi political bureau member cited by the Associated Press. The official said the group was open to a comprehensive agreement, while continuing to threaten further attacks on Saudi airports and oil facilities.