Sanaa, Riyadh rattled by strikes as war widens

San'a and Riyadh were shaken by a series of strikes as the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthis escalated on Saturday. The Houthis claimed the kingdom had carried out 26 attacks on the Yemeni capital, while flames and smoke were reported rising from a facility belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco, situated south of Riyadh.

The Houthis later stated that they had launched missile and drone strikes against an Aramco facility, though Saudi Arabia had not confirmed these allegations. The ongoing conflict began when the Houthis seized Yemen's Red Sea coast and controlled the Bab al-Mandab strait in a lightning offensive.

US media outlet Axios reported that US President Donald Trump's top cabinet members met secretly at Camp David to discuss the Saudi-Houthi conflict in Yemen and potential next steps in the Iran war. Vice President Kamala Harris chaired the meeting, according to the outlet, citing anonymous sources.

Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV reported that Saudi aircraft carried out 26 strikes on Sanaa, but provided no details on the targets or casualties. Two AFP correspondents in the city reported hearing loud explosions and observing warplanes firing missiles. In neighboring Saudi Arabia, flames and smoke were seen rising from a facility belonging to Aramco south of Riyadh, according to an AFP journalist. However, neither the Houthis nor the Saudi authorities had commented on the incident.

The situation remains unclear, although the Houthis have claimed several attacks on Aramco facilities in recent months. The journalist also reported witnessing firefighters attempting to extinguish a blaze at the energy giant's Riyadh refinery, located south of the capital, while ambulances and police vehicles were stationed near the facility.

Earlier on Saturday, Al-Masirah TV also reported missile strikes on Yemen's telecommunications network in the northwestern governorate of Saada, a stronghold of the Houthis. The conflict intensified after renewed fighting erupted between the two sides in July, following the Houthis seizing control of much of Yemen's northwest, including Sanaa.

The internationally recognized government, based in Aden, controls much of the southern and eastern regions of the country. Hostilities were reignited after Iran sent a plane carrying a Houthi delegation to Sanaa, bypassing Saudi Arabia's authorization and contravening a decade-old practice.