Saudi-led coalition says Houthi claims of targeting Riyadh 'misleading'

Riyadh: The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has described claims by the Houthi group that it had targeted the Saudi capital Riyadh as "misleading," saying they were intended to cover up losses sustained by the group.

Coalition spokesman Turki Al-Maliki told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper on Saturday (local time) that the human losses suffered by the Houthi group in Yemen's southwestern Taiz province and on other fronts were prompting it to seek "imaginary victories."

He said the claims aimed to divert attention from the group's losses, growing public anger over its practices, and its links to external agendas, reports Xinhua news agency, citing Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.

Earlier in the day, the Houthis said it had launched ballistic missiles and drones at an Aramco facility in Riyadh in response to what it described as intensified Saudi airstrikes on areas under its control in Yemen.

In a statement broadcast by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea claimed the attack achieved its objective, with "direct hits" setting fire to the targeted sites.

He said the attack was in response to what the Houthis described as Saudi airstrikes on the Yemeni capital Sanaa and other Houthi-controlled areas earlier in the day.

In a separate statement on Saturday, Sarea said 60 air and missile strikes had hit Yemen over the previous 24 hours, bringing the total number of such attacks since the latest escalation began to 1,410.

Sarea said on social media platform X that the 60 strikes hit areas in Sanaa, Saada, Taiz, Hajjah and Marib provinces, claiming that civilian sites were among the targets.

The statement came after a series of powerful explosions shook Sanaa on Saturday afternoon. Residents told Xinhua that more than seven blasts were heard within a short period, with the sound of warplanes overhead and smoke rising from the mountainous areas of Al-Nahdayn and Jabal Attan, key Houthi-held military sites.

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