Saudi-led coalition says it carried out operation targeting Houthi war supplies

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Tuesday it had carried out a targeted military operation against fuel storage and transport facilities used by the Iran-backed Houthi militia to support its war effort, including sites in Sanaa, Hodeidah and Dhamar.

Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki said the operation was aimed at cutting off vital resources used by the Houthis to sustain their military activities, including supplying their arsenal of missiles and drones.

Al-Malki said the coalition had established that the Houthis were using civilian facilities and vital infrastructure to support military operations, including the al-Sabaha Central Station in Sanaa, underground reserve fuel storage facilities, fuel tanks and facilities designated for transporting and unloading fuel.

He accused the militia of diverting resources intended to meet the needs of the Yemeni population toward its military operations.

According to al-Malki, the facilities were being used to support the Houthis’ missile and drone capabilities, which he said posed threats to Saudi Arabia, civilian airports, ports and commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

The spokesman said the operation sought to neutralize capabilities used by the Houthis to threaten Saudi Arabia, Yemen, the southern Red Sea and international waterways.

He also accused the militia of carrying out attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure and planning further strikes against civilian facilities in Saudi Arabia and commercial shipping.

The coalition said it had taken all feasible precautions to avoid civilian casualties and damage to civilian property during the planning and execution of the operation, reaffirming its commitment to international humanitarian law.

Al-Malki called on the Houthis to immediately halt attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, including airports, ports, oil facilities and other critical installations.

Earlier Tuesday, Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet said the Houthis would bear the consequences of their repeated attacks on the Kingdom, including those targeting airports, the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, and civilian and economic facilities.