SANAA, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group said Tuesday it had launched a new wave of drone and missile attacks on several Saudi targets, while claiming to have repelled a fresh ground offensive near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a series of statements posted on social media platform X that a ballistic missile targeted the Saudi Defense Ministry in Riyadh, claiming the missile scored a "direct hit."
Sarea added that two other ballistic missiles targeted Saudi military transport aircraft, one at Najran Airport in Najran province and the other at King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait, Asir province, asserting both attacks "successfully achieved their objectives."
He also claimed a drone targeted Abha International Airport in the southwestern Asir province and "accurately hit" its target, causing disruption to flight operations.
There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities of the Houthi claim.
Earlier Tuesday, the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted two ballistic missiles launched by Yemen's Houthi group toward Riyadh.
Separately, Sarea said Houthi forces had repelled an advance by government-aligned forces approaching Bab al-Mandab from the south, saying the advancing units were targeted with ballistic missiles and heavy weapons. He claimed the attacks inflicted heavy casualties and destroyed several military vehicles.
The Houthi statements came as government forces renewed their ground offensive near Bab al-Mandab early Tuesday, seeking to dislodge Houthi forces from remaining positions around the strategic waterway linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen. The Saudi Arabia-led coalition intervened in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government. ■
