Houthis blame Saudi air strikes as loud blasts rock Yemen's capital Sanaa

Loud explosions have rocked the Yemeni capital Sanaa, which is controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group. According to Houthi-linked media, the blasts were caused by Saudi air strikes. This is not the first time Sanaa has been bombed by Saudi Arabia since renewed fighting broke out between the two sides in July, the Houthis have previously accused Saudi Arabia of targeting the city.

The blasts in Sanaa come amid heightened tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis. According to the Daily Times, Saudi Arabia is preparing a major military operation against Yemen's Houthi forces, which could begin within the next few weeks. The proposed plan would involve Yemeni forces conducting ground operations with support from Saudi airstrikes, and potentially mobilise over 100,000 Yemeni personnel.

Meanwhile, a facility belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco south of Riyadh was also targeted on Saturday, with flames and smoke seen rising from the site. The circumstances of the attack remain unclear, but the Houthi group has recently carried out attacks on Aramco targets in the kingdom.

Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, South China Morning Post, Haaretz, Middle East Eye, Daily Times — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.