Saudi Arabia intercepted missiles and drones over Riyadh and other cities after its Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen struck a fuel depot near the Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa, on Tuesday night.
Major General Turki al-Maliki, the coalition’s spokesperson, said several projectiles aimed at the Saudi capital and other cities were intercepted following the strike on the Yemen Petroleum Company’s al-Sabaha facility, reports BBC.
The Houthis had warned that they would target the airport and Aramco refinery in Riyadh, as well as the oil company’s headquarters in Dammam, an eastern Saudi city.
Al-Maliki later confirmed that the military had intercepted missiles targeting several cities, including Dammam. Shrapnel also fell in a residential area in Dhahran.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy said an Aramco administration building in Dhahran had also been targeted, causing a “limited fire”.
No casualties were reported, according to the ministry.
The developments came as the Saudi cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, warned that the Iran-backed Houthis would “bear the consequences” of their recent deadly attacks on the kingdom.
Thirteen people were killed when a missile struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, while another person died in a similar attack at the airport the following day.
On Tuesday, the coalition said its forces had destroyed three drones north of Riyadh.
The Houthis have said they are targeting Saudi airports, oil and gas facilities, and military bases with missiles and drones in retaliation for deadly Saudi strikes on areas under their control in western Yemen, including Sanaa.
The Saudi-led coalition has been providing air support to Yemeni pro-government forces conducting an offensive along the country’s Red Sea coast and on several other fronts.
An AFP correspondent reported that queues formed at petrol stations in Sanaa on Tuesday afternoon after the coalition warned of an impending operation against the al-Sabaha oil facility. Many residents feared potential fuel shortages.
The Houthi-run Yemen Petroleum Company sought to reassure residents, saying in a statement that the facility “does not contain any stock of petroleum products”.
The company added that it had “taken all necessary precautionary measures to address any emergency, ensuring the stability of the supply situation and the continued meeting of citizens’ needs in a normal manner”.
After al-Maliki confirmed the strike, which Houthi media had reported earlier, explosions were heard over Riyadh and other Saudi cities. Al-Maliki said four missiles and two drones had been intercepted near the Saudi capital.
