Saudi Arabia launches dozens of strikes on Yemen’s capital, say Houthis
AI generated
SANAA – Yemen’s Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of launching dozens of strikes on Sanaa on Oct 3, while an AFP journalist in Riyadh reported seeing flames and smoke coming from an oil facility on the outskirts of the Saudi capital.
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flames → launch → capital
Though Saudi officials and the Houthis have not yet commented on the refinery fire, the Iran-backed group has in recent weeks launched attacks on oil facilities in the kingdom as part of the war in Yemen, where Riyadh backs the internationally recognised government.
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Riyadh → comment → government
The foes have traded strikes since the Houthis seized all of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and took control of the Bab al-Mandab strait in a lightning offensive.
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Houthis → trade → offensive
Houthi-affiliated channel Al-Masirah TV reported that “Saudi enemy aircraft” hit Sanaa with 26 strikes, after earlier reporting “Saudi aggression” against the Yemeni capital, without providing details on the targets or casualties.
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aircraft → affiliate → targets
Two correspondents in Sanaa reported hearing loud explosions and seeing warplanes firing missiles on the city.
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warplanes → report → city
In neighbouring Saudi Arabia, flames and smoke were seen rising on the afternoon of Oct 3 from a facility belonging to state-owned oil giant Aramco south of Riyadh, an AFP journalist said, although both the Houthis and Saudi authorities had yet to comment.
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Houthis → neighbour → Riyadh
The circumstances remained unclear, though the Houthis have claimed several attacks on facilities belonging to Aramco in recent months.
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Houthis → remain → months
The journalist reported seeing firefighters attempting to extinguish a blaze at the refinery, while ambulances and police vehicles were stationed near the facility.
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ambulances → report → facility
Al-Masirah earlier on Oct 3 also reported missile strikes on the telecommunications network in Yemen’s north-western governorate of Saada, one of the group’s strongholds.
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Masirah → report → strongholds
It comes after the Houthis said that Saudi Arabia bombed the Yemeni capital itself on the night of Oct 1 for the first time since renewed fighting broke out between the two sides in July.
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fighting → come → July
Hunger warning
After several years of calm, Yemen was plunged back into civil war that month, pitting the Iran-backed Houthis, who control most of north-west Yemen including Sanaa, against Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
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who → plunge → government
The government, based in the city of Aden, controls much of the country’s south and east – a region that is larger but much less populated.
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that → base → south
Hostilities were reignited after four years of a fragile truce when Iran sent a plane to Sanaa carrying a Houthi delegation.
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Iran → reignite → delegation
The flight did not seek authorisation from Saudi Arabia, contravening a practice in place for a decade.
Riyadh retaliated with strikes on Sanaa airport, and in response the Houthis attacked Saudi territory for the first time since 2022.
Since then, fighting has intensified, with the Houthis launching a lightning offensive in which they seized control of coastal regions along the Bab al-Mandab strait.
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they → seek → strait
They have also struck multiple Saudi targets, including oil infrastructure and the capital Riyadh, while also announcing a naval blockade on Saudi shipping in the Red Sea.
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They → strike → Sea
The renewed fighting has worsened the already appalling humanitarian conditions in Yemen, one of the world’s poorest countries, with the World Food Programme warning on Oct 2 that three-quarters of the population was unable to meet its basic food needs.
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quarters → renew → needs
Battle for Taiz
Fighting in recent days has centred on Taiz, where dozens of combatants were reported killed on Oct 2 by sources on both sides.
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dozens → centre → sides
The Houthis reported 55 of their fighters had been killed, while government sources told AFP that 26 troops had died.
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troops → report → AFP
The battle for Taiz is taking place on several fronts, including highlands overlooking coastal areas recently seized by the Houthis.
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battle → take → Houthis
While the Houthis have conquered swathes of territory, they have yet to wrest control of Taiz city, which is Yemen’s third-largest, after Sanaa and Aden.
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which → conquer → Sanaa
The Houthis also on Oct 2 said Saudi Arabia had launched 94 strikes against areas under their control in the past 24 hours.
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Arabia → say → hours
The Saudi authorities, meanwhile, reported a Houthi projectile had damaged a school in the city of Najran near the Yemen border.
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projectile → report → border
Riyadh has reportedly requested help from the United States, a call so far rebuffed by US President Donald Trump.
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Riyadh → request → Trump
On Oct 3, US media outlet Axios reported that top Cabinet members in the Trump administration met the day before to discuss Yemen as well as the Iran conflict, citing three US officials.
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members → report → officials
The meeting was not officially announced.
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meeting → announce → ?
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