Houthi-run media reported that the coalition targeted the Yemen Petroleum Company's Sabah central station on Tuesday evening, local time. The facility is a fuel depot controlled by the militant group. In a rare statement, the Saudi-led coalition earlier warned civilians to stay away from the oil depot and nearby storage facility. The oil company said its storage facilities were empty and that a strike would not affect oil reserves or supplies for residents. Witnesses in Sanaa reported hearing explosions, but it was not immediately clear which facilities were hit.
The latest attacks come as Saudi Arabia begins to investigate how its air defences failed to intercept a barrage of missiles and drones fired by the Houthis on Saturday, which struck Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, killing at least 13 people and injuring more than 300. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree posted on X that the Yemeni Armed Forces urged citizens to immediately evacuate and move away from targets that will be struck if the Saudi enemy targets a site in Sanaa. The group has warned Saudi citizens to evacuate the airport area, along with Aramco's headquarters in Dammam and an Aramco refinery in Riyadh.
The conflict between the Saudis and the Houthis escalated last month after the rebels seized key areas along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical waterway for the transport of oil and other goods through the Red Sea off Yemen. Sana'a Centre senior researcher Maysaa Shuja Al-Deen told the ABC she did not believe the Saudi-backed Yemeni government had the means to control the Houthis at the moment.