Saudi Coalition Rejects Houthi Claims of Riyadh Attack as Misleading

Riyadh, October 4 (Daily Kiran) : The Saudi-led coalition has labeled recent claims by the Houthi group of an attack on Riyadh as “misleading.” Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki stated that the Houthis are fabricating such assertions to obscure their losses in Yemen.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday, al-Maliki explained that the Houthis are attempting to portray “imaginary victories” due to significant casualties they have suffered in the southwestern Taiz province and other fronts.

According to reports from Xinhua, al-Maliki emphasized that these claims aim to divert attention from the Houthis’ losses, growing public anger over their actions, and their connections with external forces.

Earlier that day, the Houthi group claimed responsibility for a ballistic missile and drone attack on an Aramco facility in Riyadh. They stated that this strike was a retaliation against intensified Saudi airstrikes in areas under their control in Yemen.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced on Al-Masirah TV that the operation was successful, claiming that the targeted sites were set ablaze after being directly hit.

Saree further asserted that the attack was in response to alleged Saudi airstrikes on the capital Sana’a and other Houthi-held territories on the same day.

In a separate statement, Saree reported that Yemen had experienced 60 air and missile strikes in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of such attacks to 1,410 since recent tensions escalated.

He stated on the social media platform X that these 60 strikes occurred in various regions, including Sana’a, Saada, Taiz, Hajjah, and Marib, and alleged that civilian targets were also hit.

This announcement followed a series of powerful explosions heard in Sana’a on Saturday afternoon. Local residents reported hearing more than seven blasts in quick succession, accompanied by the sounds of fighter jets overhead and smoke rising from the Al-Nahdain and Jabal Attan mountainous areas, both of which are significant military sites under Houthi control.