Houthis Claim Drone Attacks on Saudi Airport and Aramco Facility

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Thursday, August 20, claimed they had targeted a Saudi airport and an Aramco facility in the southern Najran region in two drone attacks. In a post on Telegram, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group carried out two drone operations against targets in the kingdom. He said one operation targeted a site at Najran Airport, while the second targeted an Aramco facility in the region. The Houthis did not provide details about any damage or casualties resulting from the alleged attacks. There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities. The claims come amid growing tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warning that Riyadh would be unable to contain the Yemeni group as it steps up attacks against the kingdom. Yemen has been gripped by a civil war for more than a decade. The Houthis became involved in the wider Middle East conflict in July after ending a 2022 truce with Yemen’s Saudi-backed government. A Yemeni minister told AFP earlier this week that the Houthis were preparing to capture territory along the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Such a move could increase the group’s ability to threaten one of the world’s key maritime trade routes. The latest claims follow an August 9 Houthi claim that the group had attacked a gas facility in Saudi Arabia’s Jubail region. Reuters reported the claim, citing Saree.