Saudi-led coalition spokesman says Yemeni armed group is “trying to divert attention” from its losses. Published October 4, 2026October 4, 2026 Houthi claims that Iran’s allied armed group has attacked Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, are “misleading,” according to the Saudi-led coalition that supports Yemen’s internationally recognized government. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki’s comments came on Saturday after the Houthis claimed ballistic missile and drone attacks on an Aramco oil facility near Riyadh. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend list The group said the attack caused large fires as fighting between the Houthis and government forces in Yemen intensifies. In statements published by the Saudi outlet Asharq Al-Awsat late on Saturday, al-Maliki claimed that the Houthis are “trying to divert attention from the magnitude of the losses and the growing public anger against them.” Yemeni forces “executed 257 precision operations” against Houthi sites, movements and military capabilities on Saturday, according to spokesman for Yemen’s internationally recognized government forces, Col. Majed Abdullah al-Nazili. He added that initial estimates indicate that the operations killed at least 700 Houthi rebels. Meanwhile, al-Maliki said the Houthis’ “links to external agendas” have brought “chaos and devastation to Yemen,” adding that “what the Houthis face in Taiz… drives them to seek illusory victories.” Earlier on Sunday, the Saudi-led coalition said its armed forces carried out 97 “precise targeting operations” against Houthi reinforcements on the Tor al-Baha front and the Taiz axis, using fighter jets, drones, artillery, missiles and snipers. displacing hundreds of thousands of people since then. In mid-September, the Houthis seized the port city of Mocha and strategic islands in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a vital route for global oil shipments, before anti-Houthi forces stabilized the front lines. Yemen has been at war since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa in 2014, forcing the Yemeni government to retreat to Aden.
