Houthis claim strikes on Saudi defence ministry

Yemen's Houthi group has claimed attacks on Saudi Arabia's Defence Ministry building in Riyadh and a Saudi Aramco facility in the port city of Yanbu, as tensions escalate amid renewed hostilities in the region.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced the claimed strikes in a televised statement on Thursday (October 22). Saudi authorities have yet to confirm the attacks.

Earlier, the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted several drones flying over Riyadh and Medina, the holy city near Yanbu.

Meanwhile, Saudi Aramco has ordered the evacuation of its headquarters in Dhahran amid a series of Houthi attacks, according to six sources familiar with the matter cited by Reuters.

The latest developments come amid renewed confrontation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, who have also imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, according to Saree.