RIYADH/SANAA, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi group exchanged threats of retaliatory attacks on Tuesday as cross-border strikes on major cities and oil facilities continued.
THREATS EXCHANGED
During a cabinet meeting on Tuesday chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia warned that Yemen's Houthis would face consequences for its repeated attacks on the kingdom.
The Saudi Council of Ministers praised the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen for its military operations against the Houthis and pledged to protect freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Also on Tuesday, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea warned that any attack on the Houthi-held capital would trigger what he described as a "harsh and painful" response against Riyadh.
The group later warned of several sites in Saudi Arabia, including facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
SAUDI ARAMCO, RIYADH TARGETED
The Saudi Civil Defense announced early Wednesday that four people, including two women and one child, were injured and 15 residential homes sustained damage after debris from two intercepted cruise missiles fell in the capital Riyadh on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, a Saudi Aramco administrative building in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, was targeted Tuesday evening, causing a limited fire, the Saudi Press Agency reported early Wednesday.
On Tuesday night, the coalition said that it had intercepted multiple missiles and drones over eastern and southern Saudi Arabia. It also reported intercepting a ballistic missile targeting an administrative center in Al-Ahsa Governorate in the Eastern Province.
COALITION WARNING BEFORE STRIKES
The Saudi-led coalition on Tuesday urged civilians to evacuate the Yemen Petroleum Company's Al-Sabaha Central Station in Houthi-held Sanaa ahead of what it described as a "qualitative operation."
Coalition spokesperson Turki Al-Malki issued the warning on X and posted a map marking the site, describing the targeted facilities as vital resources used by the Houthis to support their military operations in Sanaa, Hodeidah and Dhamar.
The Houthis said Tuesday that Saudi warplanes and missiles carried out 104 strikes across areas held by the group over the past 24 hours.
Sarea said on X that F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets took off from Saudi air bases in Khamis Mushait and Taif, while missiles were launched from Najran in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
The Houthi spokesperson claimed the attacks caused civilian casualties without giving specific figures.
In Sanaa, the strikes hit the Yemen Petroleum Company's Al-Sabaha Central Station, a fuel storage and distribution facility west of the city.
In Hodeidah, strikes targeted fuel storage facilities in the Red Sea coastal area of Ras Isa and fuel supply warehouses in Bajil, east of the provincial capital. Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported that two people were killed in the strikes.
DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS GATHER PACE
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in a phone call, that Türkiye strongly supports Saudi Arabia and would continue to stand by Riyadh.
Also on Tuesday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah held separate phone calls with his Qatari, Kuwaiti and UAE counterparts who condemned the Houthi attacks and reaffirmed their solidarity with the kingdom.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi discussed regional de-escalation with his Turkish, Iraqi and Egyptian counterparts, emphasizing the need to return to negotiations. Tehran had reiterated on Monday its readiness to help facilitate dialogue between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis. ■
