STOCKS | Houthi Forces Strike Riyadh and Yanbu, Hitting Saudi Energy Facilities Again

Yemen's Houthi forces said they launched two rounds of attacks on Saudi targets in Riyadh and on Saudi Aramco facilities in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones. According to Sina Finance, Saudi Arabia said it intercepted missiles headed for Riyadh, and smoke later rose from a fuel facility near the airport. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said the strikes were a response to recent Saudi airstrikes on Yemen's capital, Sanaa. He said the first round targeted Riyadh's "sensitive targets," while the second targeted Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu. Residents in Riyadh received alerts about an "hostile air threat" and were told to stay indoors before Saudi authorities later lifted the warning. Video from the scene showed black smoke rising from a fuel facility near King Khalid International Airport. Yanbu is a major center for refining, storage, and crude exports on Saudi Arabia's western Red Sea coast. The city is also the terminus of the east-west oil pipeline, which links eastern oil fields to the Red Sea and allows Saudi Arabia to route some crude exports through western ports if transport through the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted. The attacks came as tensions in Yemen spilled further into energy and shipping, with the Bab el-Mandeb Strait serving as a key route for Gulf crude shipments to Europe. Houthi forces said their maritime operations target ships linked to Saudi Arabia and pledged not to attack U.S. vessels, while questions remain over whether that unilateral pledge can hold and whether target identification is reliable.