After Riyadh's Pledge to Respond to Airport and Facility Attacks, Coalition Strikes Houthi Fuel Lifeline in Sanaa

The Coalition Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen carried out a strategic airstrike on Tuesday afternoon targeting the central Al-Sabaha station of the Yemen Oil Company west of Sanaa. This followed a prior warning to civilians to evacuate the site, as it serves as a main artery supplying the Houthi militia with fuel to support their military operations. The operation is part of a declared response from the coalition and the Kingdom to the recent Houthi escalation targeting airports, energy facilities, and civilian infrastructure in the Kingdom, amid Saudi Arabia's firm stance against threats to its security and growing international condemnation of the Houthi attacks.

The Coalition Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen executed a strategic operation on Tuesday afternoon, targeting the central Al-Sabaha station of the Yemen Oil Company west of the capital, Sanaa. This came hours after the Cabinet confirmed that the terrorist Houthi militia would face consequences for their repeated criminal acts and attacks on the Kingdom's airports, Mecca, Medina, and civilian and economic facilities, following the coalition's promise to respond "firmly" to the attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.

The strike followed a warning issued by the Joint Forces Command of the coalition through the official spokesperson, Brigadier General Turki Al-Maliki, urging civilians to evacuate the "Yemen Oil Company / Al-Sabaha central station in Sanaa" for their safety. A map of the site was provided, indicating that the evacuation was a prelude to executing a "strategic operation."

Warning then Strikes

Earlier today, Al-Maliki announced that the Joint Forces Command would issue a "shortly" warning to civilians to evacuate a site in Sanaa, before the coalition later specified the targeted location in a subsequent post.

Shortly after the warning, witnesses in Sanaa reported hearing explosions and seeing smoke rising from the targeted area in Bani Matar district west of the capital, while Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper confirmed that the coalition directed several airstrikes at the station.

No statement on the operation's results or the extent of the damage had been issued by the coalition at the time of this report.

Why Al-Sabaha?

According to Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, the Al-Sabaha station is a major facility for storing oil derivatives and supplying areas under militia control. It contains large tanks that cover part of their military fuel needs, necessary for moving vehicles, operating generators, and supporting services, making it the "fuel lifeline" feeding their military machine.

The choice of a fuel facility as a target, following a prior warning to civilians, reflects the coalition's declared approach to targeting the capabilities used by the militia in their operations, while ensuring civilians are spared the effects of military operations.

Airports in the Line of Fire

The operation comes amid a continuous Houthi escalation that targeted the Kingdom's airports within a week; on October 9, the General Authority of Civil Aviation announced the martyrdom of three citizens in two attacks targeting King Khalid International Airport facilities and a Saudi Airlines plane, following attacks on Abha and King Khalid airports that resulted in the deaths of three residents and injuries to 36 people.

On the afternoon of Saturday, October 10, an attack targeted the passenger terminal at King Khalid International Airport, resulting, according to the authority, in 12 deaths, including four citizens and eight residents of various nationalities, and 309 injuries, in addition to material damage to airport facilities.

The coalition described that attack as a "terrorist act" and a "full-fledged war crime" under international humanitarian law and its customary rules, affirming that the Joint Forces Command "will respond firmly" in accordance with international humanitarian law.

Not a day passed before the coalition announced on the evening of Sunday, October 11, that passenger terminal No. 4 at the same airport was attacked with a projectile causing a fire, and a cruise missile was intercepted and destroyed around the airport, while the coalition announced today, Tuesday, the interception and destruction of three drones north of Riyadh.

From Energy Facilities to the Holy Sites

The attacks were not limited to airports; on September 8, a responsible source in the Ministry of Energy announced the targeting of several facilities and sites in the energy sector in the southern region of the Kingdom, leading to fires at several sites, a temporary halt to some operational processes, and varying injuries to several citizens and residents.

On September 29, the coalition announced that the militia targeted the Taiba power distribution station in Medina with a drone, a civilian facility supplying electricity to the Prophet's Mosque, considering it part of ongoing attempts to target the Two Holy Mosques, two weeks after air defenses intercepted a drone launched by the militia towards Mecca on September 15.

Firm Official Stance

In its session today, chaired by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Cabinet praised the military operations carried out by the coalition "to neutralize the threat of the terrorist Houthi militia" against the Yemeni people, international peace and security, global trade movement, and international supply chains.

The council stressed that the Kingdom "will not allow threats to its security or freedom of maritime navigation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait," appreciating the firm role of the armed forces in defending the homeland and deterring any aggression or threat to its sovereignty and the safety of its people and residents, expressing condolences to the families of the attack victims.

International Condemnations and Positions

International condemnations of the Houthi attacks on the Kingdom continued, as the Crown Prince received calls from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the German Chancellor following the attacks, while Arab countries including the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, and Iraq condemned the attack on King Khalid Airport.

In Washington, US President Donald Trump, in a post on the "Truth Social" platform today, said that the Houthis "are behaving very badly" and have "probably returned at Iran's behest" to strike Saudi Arabia and attempt to raise oil prices, concluding: "I will never forget."

What Does It Mean?

In an analytical reading, the Al-Sabaha strike sends a direct message that the coalition's and Cabinet's pledges to respond are not political rhetoric, and that targeting civilian airports, energy facilities, and the vicinity of the holy sites will be met with targeting the capabilities that feed the militia's military machine deep within their controlled areas.

The choice of a fuel facility in Sanaa, preceded by a public warning and a site map, reveals a formula the coalition adheres to: striking what serves the militia's war effort while sparing civilians the effects of confrontation, in contrast to Houthi attacks that targeted crowded passenger terminals and civilian and economic facilities.

The escalation path remains dependent on the militia's behavior in the coming days, amid the Kingdom's assertion that it will not allow threats to its security and the widening international condemnation of their attacks.