Houthis claim missile, drone attack on Saudi Aramco in Riyadh

Yemen's Houthi group said Saturday it targeted Saudi oil giant Aramco in Riyadh with ballistic missiles and drones in response to attacks on the Yemeni capital Sanaa.

The operation had “successfully achieved its objective,” causing fires at the targeted sites, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a televised statement.

Saree also said Sanaa and other Yemeni provinces had been subjected to 60 airstrikes over the previous 24 hours, bringing the total number of strikes to 1,420. He attributed the attacks to Saudi Arabia.

He warned that the group would respond to “blockade with blockade, and escalation with escalation.”

Saudi Arabia had not commented on the Houthi claim as of 2000 GMT.

On July 20, the Houthis announced a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, saying the move was in response to a Saudi naval and air siege on areas under its control in Yemen.

Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition supporting Yemen's internationally recognized government against Houthi forces, which have controlled Sanaa and several other governorates since September 2014.