Houthis say they targeted Saudi oil pipeline, Yanbu

Yemen's Houthis said Thursday they targeted Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline and an oil facility in Yanbu, while the Saudi-led coalition reported intercepting missiles and drones during a surge in attacks.

Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said on X that one operation targeted Pumping Station No. 7 on the East-West Pipeline with a drone, and that another targeted the Yanbu oil facility with a ballistic missile. He claimed both operations were successful, along with two others against a Saudi airport and an airbase near the Yemeni border.

Saree also said the Houthis had attacked state-run oil company Saudi Aramco in Riyadh. There were no immediate reports of damage from that claimed attack. A skyscraper belonging to Aramco was damaged on Sunday by what authorities described as falling shrapnel from an attempted attack.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said Thursday morning it had intercepted a drone in the Riyadh region and another in eastern Saudi Arabia. It also said it destroyed two ballistic missiles targeting western Saudi Arabia on Wednesday night, and two more drones in the country's south and in the region around Mecca. It was unclear whether the interceptions were related to the Houthis' latest claims.

Saudi civil defence said missile debris fell in Sabouha, about 35 kilometres from Mecca.

The East-West Pipeline ends at Yanbu on the Red Sea and has become more important to Saudi Arabia, the world's largest crude exporter, since Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz at the outset of the Middle East war. Saudi Arabia said on Monday that an attack on the pipeline caused a fire but did not affect operations.

Saudi Arabia has been regularly targeted by the Houthis since fighting resumed in July, including attacks on airports, energy infrastructure, military sites and Riyadh's financial district. The Houthis have repeatedly denied targeting the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.