RIYADH Sept 24, 2026 – Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said Thursday they launched missile and drone attacks on a “sensitive target” in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh and on Saudi Aramco facilities in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu.
The claim followed a Saudi-led coalition statement that air defenses had intercepted six ballistic missiles fired toward Taif province in the south and the Yanbu area. There was no immediate official Saudi confirmation of a strike reaching Riyadh or of any damage or casualties in Taif or Yanbu.
The announcement, reported by accounts including BRICS News, fits a pattern of Houthi operations against Saudi energy infrastructure throughout September 2026. Yanbu has become a critical alternative export hub for Saudi crude after disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz and earlier attacks that affected the East-West pipeline.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree has previously described similar operations as responses to Saudi airstrikes on Houthi-held areas in Yemen, including Sanaa. Saudi authorities have consistently reported intercepting incoming missiles and drones while issuing civil defense alerts in affected regions.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that France would send soldiers, radar systems, and air-defense equipment to help protect Yanbu’s oil facilities. He described the deployment as strictly defensive and not an entry into the broader conflict. Macron noted the site’s importance, saying more than five million barrels of oil had been leaving the terminal daily before recent disruptions.
The latest exchange adds pressure on global energy markets already strained by regional fighting. Oil prices rose on the news of the claimed attacks and the continued targeting of Saudi export infrastructure. Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners have emphasized that their air defenses continue to neutralize most incoming threats, while the Houthis have vowed to maintain an “escalation for escalation” approach until airstrikes on Yemen stop.
No independent verification of damage at the claimed Riyadh or Yanbu sites was immediately available. Saudi Civil Defense had earlier issued and then lifted alerts in several cities after the missile intercepts.
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