Yemen's Houthi group said on Thursday it launched drone and ballistic missile attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure and military sites, including a pumping station on the East-West oil pipeline, an oil facility in Yanbu and an Aramco site in Riyadh. Xinhua reported the claims, which were made by Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea in a series of statements on social media.

Sarea said the group launched a drone targeting Saudi oil giant Aramco in Riyadh and another targeting Pumping Station No. 7 along Saudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline. He added that a ballistic missile targeted an oil facility in Yanbu, a major oil hub on the Red Sea coast. The group also said it targeted a military cargo aircraft at Sharurah Airport in the southern Najran region with a drone, and King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait with a ballistic missile.

Sarea claimed the operations had achieved their objectives but gave no details of any damage. The claims could not be independently verified, and Saudi authorities had not immediately commented on the reported attacks or provided details of possible casualties or damage.

Saudi Arabia reports interceptions

Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki said late on Wednesday that Saudi air defences had intercepted and destroyed two Houthi ballistic missiles in the country's western region. He reported on Thursday the interception and destruction of four drones, two over the Riyadh region and two over the eastern region.

The Institute for the Study of War, in its Iran Update of 12 November, recorded the same Houthi claims and said it could not verify them. It noted that Saudi military and government sources separately announced the interception of six Houthi projectiles on 11 November, including a drone near Riyadh, a drone in the Eastern Province, two ballistic missiles in western Saudi Arabia and two ballistic missiles near Mecca. The Houthis have consistently denied targeting the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina, and Sarea dismissed Saudi claims that two missiles had been intercepted over Mecca as fabricated.

The Houthis have targeted and struck the East-West Pipeline on multiple occasions during the conflict. A previous Houthi attack on the pipeline in September 2026 forced Saudi authorities to close it for about 11 days to carry out emergency repairs. The Institute for the Study of War assesses that the Houthis are seeking to impose economic and political costs on Saudi Arabia to compel the kingdom to end military operations in Yemen and accept Houthi demands, including lifting Saudi controls on Houthi-held ports and airports and granting the Houthis control over Yemen's oil and gas resources.

Fighting intensifies inside Yemen

The strikes came as fierce fighting continued between the Houthis and Yemeni government forces in the southern province of Lahj, near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, leaving dozens killed or wounded on both sides, a local military source told Xinhua. In a separate statement, Sarea said the Houthis had fired six ballistic missiles at gatherings of opposing forces in Kharaz and Ras al-Arah, two areas in southern Lahj near Bab al-Mandab, claiming dozens of casualties.

Sarea also accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out 98 airstrikes and missile attacks across five Yemeni provinces over the past 24 hours, claiming civilian casualties. Egypt and the Arab League condemned the continued Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia on Thursday, warning that the escalation threatened regional security and stability.