Houthi rebels: Strikes on Saudi capital 'successful'

Houthi rebels: Strikes on Saudi capital 'successful'

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen say they have conducted "successful" attacks on Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh and elsewhere.

The AFP news agency says flames rose near Riyadh's international airport on Saturday and that a burnt-out fuel tank bore the logo of state-run oil company Saudi Aramco.

The Reuters news agency also reports that a large plume of smoke was visible near the airport on the same day after booms were heard.

Reuters says Saudi Arabia had sent alerts overnight warning of potential danger around the capital. It adds that they were the first such alerts since the exchange of fire with the Houthis started to escalate in July.

The Houthis later issued a statement, saying they had carried out two military operations using a large number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones.

The statement said the first operation targeted sensitive sites in Riyadh and the second targeted Aramco facilities in Yanbu on the Red Sea coast. It asserted that both operations had been "successful" and resulted in massive fires at the targeted locations.

Saudi-led coalition forces announced on Saturday that they had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired by the Houthi group at Riyadh.

US media outlet Bloomberg quoted sources on Friday as saying Aramco had told at least two oil refining customers in Europe that they would be allocated no crude next month under long-term agreements.