The Saudi-led military coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government has dismissed claims by the Houthi movement that it carried out strikes against the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki described the statements as fundamentally misleading, directly countering the rebel group's claims that ballistic missiles and drones had ignited major fires at an Aramco oil facility near Riyadh.

In remarks published by the regional daily Asharq Al-Awsat, al-Maliki asserted that the Houthis are fabricating claims to conceal catastrophic losses on the ground and counteract mounting domestic dissatisfaction. The spokesperson remarked that the rebel movement's reliance on external agendas has brought devastation across Yemen, adding that ongoing tactical setbacks around Taiz have driven the group to manufacture imaginary victories.

The coalition’s rebuttal coincided with a major escalation on the battlefield, where Yemeni government forces carried out 257 precision targeting operations against Houthi command nodes, personnel, and weapons depots on Saturday. Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili, spokesperson for the Yemeni government armed forces, indicated that initial operational estimates suggest at least 700 Houthi fighters were killed during the combined assaults.

Early on Sunday, coalition assets launched an additional 97 targeted strikes targeting Houthi reinforcements along the Tor al-Baha front and the strategic Taiz axis, deploying airstrikes, artillery, missile barrages, and drones. Fighting in the protracted conflict has rapidly expanded following the breakdown of the fragile 2022 UN-backed truce, deepening the displacement crisis across central and western Yemen.

Source: www.aljazeera.com