Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
A fire and heavy smoke erupted near a facility belonging to Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil giant, Saudi Aramco, in Riyadh yesterday, as renewed fighting between Saudi-backed forces and Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement intensified.
The renewed hostilities on Saudi pose a particular risk because its energy infrastructure is central to the economy and global oil supply, and any sustained disruption to major oil facilities or key maritime routes could further unsettle an already volatile international energy market.
A Reuters witness reported flames and a large plume of smoke near an Aramco facility in the Saudi capital. Saudi authorities had not immediately confirmed the incident, while Aramco had yet to comment. There was also no immediate claim of responsibility.
The incident came amid a sharp escalation in hostilities between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, who have in recent weeks claimed attacks against Saudi cities and energy infrastructure, including Aramco facilities in the Red Sea port of Yanbu.
Saudi authorities have also reported intercepting missiles launched towards areas, including Taif and Yanbu, although they have not confirmed damage to Aramco facilities in those incidents.
The latest escalation coincided with intensified Saudi military operations inside Yemen, with loud explosions reported across the capital, Sanaa. Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah television said Saudi airstrikes had targeted the city, while AFP reported hearing at least five blasts and seeing two warplanes firing missiles over Sanaa.
Sources on both sides said about 80 combatants were killed in fighting around Taiz on Friday. The Houthis said 55 of their fighters were killed, while government sources cited by AFP put the number of troops killed at 26.
The fighting has spread across several fronts, including highland positions overlooking coastal areas recently seized by the Houthis. Despite their gains, the group has not captured Taiz city, Yemen’s third-largest city after Sanaa and Aden.
The Houthis have also reported dozens of Saudi airstrikes on areas under their control, while Saudi authorities said a Houthi projectile damaged a school in Najran, close to the Yemeni border.
The intensifying conflict has raised fresh concerns over the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a strategic maritime choke point linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and a vital route for global energy shipments.
Saudi Arabia is reportedly preparing a major counteroffensive with Yemeni government forces to recover territory along the Red Sea coast and reassert control over the strategic waterway. Reuters reported that the United States declined to participate directly in the offensive, although it continued to provide intelligence and defensive assistance.
The conflict has also prompted renewed attention in Washington. Axios reported that senior members of US President Donald Trump’s administration held an unannounced meeting at Camp David on Friday to discuss the war in Iran and the escalating Saudi-Houthi conflict.
Three US officials cited by Axios said Vice President JD Vance chaired the meeting, attended by senior national security officials. The administration did not publicly announce the meeting.