SANAA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group said Saturday that it had launched two large-scale missile and drone attacks targeting the Saudi capital Riyadh and an Aramco facility in the western Saudi city of Yanbu, amid a sharp escalation in hostilities between the two sides.
In a statement broadcast by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the operations involved "a large number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones."
Sarea said the first operation targeted what he described as "sensitive targets" in Riyadh, while the second struck a facility belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco in Yanbu, a major industrial and energy hub on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast.
"The two operations were successful," Sarea said, claiming that large fires broke out at the targeted sites.
The Houthi statement came after explosions were heard in Riyadh twice on Saturday. Smoke was seen rising near King Khalid International Airport in the northeastern part of the capital following the second incident, while some flights were delayed.
Saudi authorities had earlier issued an aerial threat alert for Riyadh before announcing that the danger had passed, reportedly the first such alert for the Saudi capital since tensions between the Houthi group and Saudi Arabia intensified recently.
Sarea denied that the group deliberately targeted civilians, saying that the attacks against Riyadh were in response to intensified Saudi airstrikes on Houthi-held areas in Yemen.
The spokesperson vowed that the Houthis would continue retaliatory operations under what he called an "escalation for escalation" strategy until Saudi airstrikes cease and restrictions on Yemen are lifted.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition said Saturday that its air defenses intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile targeting Riyadh and thwarted attacks on Baish, Taif, Farasan and Yanbu. Coalition spokesperson Turki Al-Maliki said the attacks targeted "civilians and civilian objects" and vowed "appropriate measures" to deter further attacks. ■
