Iran-backed Houthis said on Monday (October 5, 2026) they had struck Riyadh’s international airport, an oil refinery and other sites in Saudi Arabia, as the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said they had destroyed Houthi targets on the Red Sea coast.
It came a day after Yemen’s government announced the lofty goal of retaking all Houthi territory — home to most of the country’s population, and much of it held for more than a decade.
Pakistan and Turkiye have pledged to deploy troops to Saudi Arabia under a new mutual defence pact following weeks of Houthi attacks, as Riyadh and its Yemeni government allies began an ambitious push aimed at retaking all territory held by the group. The claims could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate Saudi confirmation of the specific attacks. The Yemeni military said it carried out more than 1,000 strikes and began an offensive against Sanaa, while the Saudi-led coalition supporting the internationally recognised government said 100 warplanes flew sorties at dawn.
Turki Al-Malki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, said on X that its naval forces had hit “military targets” belonging to the Houthis in Hodeida on the Red Sea coast. They “destroyed weapons depots, facilities storing booby-trapped boats and naval mines” and had “thwarted a planned attack” targeting waterways in the southern Red Sea, he said. Later, the military said it had driven the Houthis from the area surrounding the Bab al-Mandeb Strait — a vital route for maritime traffic — including the port city of Mocha, Dhubab airport and Al-Omari military camp. They also said they expelled the Houthis from several areas in Taiz in the southwest, where deadly fighting has surged in recent days. Earlier reporting noted: Houthis target Aramco refinery, Saudi capital airport as Mecca defence pact activated: Report Houthis said that they targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with missiles (AFP) Earlier reporting noted: According to Reuters, the Houthis said their three operations targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, an Aramco refinery in Rabigh, Abha International Airport and a military base in Khamis Mushait.
Earlier reporting noted: The escalation came as Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces made fresh territorial gains against the Houthis along Yemen’s western coast, including areas near the strategically vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
