The exchanges between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi rebels have continued in a pattern targeting each other’s capital regions.
Reports emerged that a military base in Sana’a, Yemen, was hit by an airstrike on the night of October 1, while the Houthi rebels had earlier attacked areas near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with drones and ballistic missiles.
As fuel storage facilities near airports and power facilities, in addition to military installations, were mentioned as attack targets, the claims made by the two sides need to be distinguished more rigorously.
3-Line Summary
1. The scope of Saudi and Houthi airstrikes has expanded.
2. Sana’a was hit by an airstrike, while Riyadh was attacked by drones.
3. The two sides’ claims conflict over responsibility for the Medina attack.
Explosions Heard at a Military Base in Southern Sana’a
On the 2nd, the Houthi rebels said that Saudi aircraft had attacked the Al-Nahda military base inside the presidential palace complex in southern Sana’a, the Yemeni capital, with missiles the previous night. Sana’a is the Yemeni capital controlled by the Houthi rebels.
KBS and Yonhap News Agency, citing reports from local sources and AFP, reported that loud explosions were heard and smoke was seen in various parts of Sana’a. However, these reports did not provide specific details about casualties or the scale of damage to facilities.
The Sana’a airstrike was reported based on statements from the Houthi side and local reports. The airstrike report itself, the specific circumstances of the attack, and the actual scale of the damage cannot be treated as facts established with the same level of certainty.
Impact on Daily Life Left by the Attack Near Riyadh
The Houthi rebels were reported to have struck areas near the Saudi capital Riyadh with suicide drones and ballistic missiles late last month. KBS reported that on the 19th of last month, a fuel storage facility near Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport was attacked by drones and ballistic missiles, leading to flight cancellations.
As the risk of airstrikes on Riyadh increased, Saudi authorities switched classes at schools of all levels to remote learning for one week starting on the 27th of last month. This was a case in which the risk of attacks on the capital region affected not only military responses but also aviation operations and school classes.
Yonhap News Agency reported that both sides were carrying out long-range airstrikes targeting the other side’s capital. Reports of the Sana’a airstrike can be viewed as one episode in the exchanges that followed the attack near Riyadh, but they do not indicate subsequent military actions or an expansion of the damage.
Dispute Over Responsibility for Attack on Medina Substation
The Saudi-led coalition claimed on the 1st that the Houthi rebels had attacked a power substation in Saudi Arabia’s Medina. The coalition announced that the facility supplies power to the Prophet’s Mosque and that the attack halted the operation of one transformer but had no effect on the overall power grid.
The coalition said it had confirmed Houthi involvement based on an on-site investigation and analysis of drone debris. The Houthi side, meanwhile, completely denied the claim. Since responsibility for the attack on the Medina substation is disputed by the two sides, it cannot be treated as an established fact based solely on the coalition’s announcement.
One point to note in these exchanges is that, in addition to military bases, fuel storage facilities near airports and power facilities were also mentioned as attack targets. However, responsibility and damage in each incident must be assessed separately according to the source of the announcement.
References
Tags #SaudiArabia #HouthiRebels #Yemen #Sanaa #Riyadh #SaudiAirstrikes #DroneAttacks #BallisticMissiles #Medina #PowerFacilities #MiddleEastSituation #YemeniCivilWar