The "Coalition" announces the implementation of an attack in Sana'a and accuses Al-Houthi of using civilian objects for military purposes

On Tuesday, the Saudi-led “Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen” accused the Iran-backed Houthi group of using civilian objects to “fuel the arsenal of missiles and drones” that targeted Saudi Arabia in recent days. The coalition issued a statement after targeting an oil facility west of the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, which is controlled by the Houthis. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said, "The terrorist Houthi militia uses civilian objects and vital resources to fuel its war effort."

Al-Maliki added that among those objects is the “Al-Sabahah Oil Station,” which the coalition targeted earlier Tuesday, along with “underground reserve fuel stores, fuel tanks, and docks designated for transporting and unloading fuel in Hodeidah, Sana’a, and Dhamar.” The statement said that the Houthis used those sites "to support the war effort by feeding the arsenal of missiles and drones that threaten the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and threaten the safety of airports, ports, and commercial ships in the Red Sea."

The coalition spokesman also indicated that this "contributed to the implementation of hostile attacks against civilians and civilian objects in the Kingdom and against commercial ships in international waterways." The statement also added that the operation carried out by the coalition on Tuesday “focused on neutralizing the capabilities of the Houthi militia, which it uses to threaten the Kingdom, Yemen, the southern Red Sea and waterways,” stressing the coalition’s “strict commitment to international humanitarian law.”

The statement noted that the coalition took "possible precautions to avoid causing accidental losses or damage to civilians during the planning and implementation of this operation," calling on the Houthis to "immediately stop all terrorist operations against civilians and civilian objects." The attacks of the Yemeni Houthi group, allied with Iran, on Saudi Arabia escalated during the past week, targeting airports and vital installations, resulting in deaths and hundreds of injuries, in a development that kept King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh closed. The Saudi army stated that it intercepted a missile over Riyadh and destroyed two other missiles over Khamis Mushait, southwest of the country.

The armed forces under the control of the Houthis in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attacks, noting that they targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and a military base. The group also renewed its warnings to international airlines against operating flights to Saudi airports.

These attacks came shortly after the Saudi authorities announced that King Khalid International Airport would remain closed until further notice, as a notice to air navigation (NOTAM) indicated that the airport would remain closed until at least October 17. Saudi Arabia launched a large-scale attack last week, in support of the Yemeni government forces in their confrontation with the Houthis, but the group has so far managed to withstand and maintain its positions.