Houthis threaten Riyadh airport and Aramco refinery if Saudi coalition strikes Sanaa

Yemen's Houthis threatened on Tuesday to hit Riyadh's airport, an Aramco refinery and an Aramco facility in Dammam if the Saudi-led coalition strikes an oil facility in Sanaa. The coalition earlier told civilians to evacuate the site.

Why are the Houthis threatening Riyadh airport?

The Houthis are responding to a coalition warning of an imminent strike on the Yemen Petroleum Company's al-Sabaha Central Station in Sanaa. It was the first evacuation order for Sanaa since the war flared up again in July. The group has already struck Riyadh's airport several times in the past week.

What did the Houthis and the Saudi coalition say about the Sanaa strike?

The coalition demanded "that civilians evacuate the site of the Yemen Petroleum Company, the al-Sabaha Central Station in Sanaa... for their own safety," spokesman Turki al-Maliki said on X. The site sits on the western outskirts of the Houthi-controlled capital.

The Houthis issued a swift warning that a strike would be met with a "tough and painful response." They told employees to evacuate Saudi oil giant Aramco facilities and threatened to hit Riyadh's international airport.

Military spokesman Yahya Saree later posted on X that "the Yemeni Armed Forces urge all citizens to immediately evacuate and move away from targets that our forces will strike should the Saudi enemy target" a site in Sanaa. He named the targets as Aramco's headquarters in Dammam, plus the airport and an Aramco refinery in Riyadh.

How are the attacks affecting life and travel in Saudi Arabia?

An attack on Riyadh's airport on Saturday left 13 people dead, rocking the world's top crude oil exporter and deepening the war in Yemen. The coalition said its forces intercepted three drones north of Riyadh on Tuesday. Blasts also resounded over the capital late on Monday, when the coalition said it intercepted a Houthi missile.

The group said it had again targeted the airport, whose operations remain suspended. Mobile phones received a government alert warning of a "hostile aerial threat" before the interception was announced. Human Resources Minister Ahmad bin Sulaiman Al Rajhi remained defiant at the Riyadh Economic Forum, telling the crowd: "We're not going out. We are safe. With God's will. May God turn their plots back against them."

Many countries have since issued travel warnings to their citizens in Saudi Arabia. France most recently told its citizens to avoid the airports in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam on Tuesday. Traffic in Riyadh was noticeably lighter this week as remote learning for schools and work-from-home orders for some companies took effect, according to AFP journalists.

How is the war affecting Saudi Arabia's economy?

The International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia faces a major economic contraction this year, with GDP expected to shrink by 3.3 percent. Its latest World Economic Outlook predicts a regional drop over Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The report was compiled before the attack on Riyadh's airport.

The kingdom was already facing headwinds from Iran's chokehold on Hormuz, a vital shipping route for oil and gas, since the Middle East war began in February. The war started when the US and Israel attacked Iran. The restart of Yemen's frozen civil war in July has further roiled the kingdom and brought the fight to its own soil.

Houthi attacks have also targeted oil tankers in the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia's alternative export route. Saudi Arabia has used its East-West oil pipeline to bypass Hormuz and send crude to its Red Sea coast. The pipeline was temporarily shut in September after strikes blamed on Iran-backed groups in Iraq.

Is the US joining Saudi strikes against the Houthis?

US President Donald Trump said after the Riyadh airport attack that he was considering joining Saudi strikes against the Houthis. He had reportedly rebuffed previous Saudi requests for help. The Houthis warned the US against intervention.

Political bureau member Mohammed Al Bukhaiti told AFP the group would target American interests in the region. He said the campaign against Saudi targets was meant to send a message to the crown prince "that he can no longer wage aggression against Yemen from a safe position."

The Saudi coalition has supported Yemen's government militarily since 2015 in a long-running civil war against the Houthis. The conflict has created a deeply entrenched humanitarian crisis in the impoverished country.