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Yemen’s Houthis (Ansar Allah) announced on October 19 that they had carried out six operations against Saudi oil facilities, airports and military installations over 48 hours, claiming fires at energy sites, disrupted air traffic and casualties among Saudi forces.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthis’ military spokesman, said in a statement that the operations involved “a large number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones.” The targets included Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu, the Shaybah oil field, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Abha International Airport and several military installations.

Saree noted that the operation against Aramco facilities in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu was carried out in two phases and caused “large fires” at the targeted sites. A separate strike on the Shaybah oil field also scored a direct hit and sparked fires, he added.

The third operation targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh in three phases. Saree described the strikes as accurate and direct but did not specify any resulting damage.

The fourth operation targeted Abha International Airport, Saudi radar installations in the al-Hisn and al-Rahma mountains, and Khamis Mushait air base. Saree claimed the strikes disrupted air traffic at Abha airport and damaged the air base.

The fifth operation struck a camp belonging to the Saudi naval task force, killing and wounding Saudi personnel, according to Saree. The sixth targeted a Saudi radar installation at Bir Askar, which he said was destroyed.

On the Saudi side, the Saudi-led coalition said a day earlier that its air defenses intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired toward Khamis Mushait and a drone in the Riyadh region. Saudi Civil Defense separately reported that a projectile fired by the Houthis landed in a residential area of Najran province, wounding six people.

Saree also accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out more than 200 airstrikes and missile attacks against civilian sites in Sanaa and other Houthi-held areas during the same 48-hour period, causing dozens of deaths and injuries, most of them among women and children.

The spokesman said the total number of Saudi airstrikes and missile attacks since the escalation began had exceeded 2,700.

Vowing to continue the campaign, Saree said Yemen would not submit to Saudi Arabia and threatened “wider operations, harsher strikes and more severe targeting.”

“We will continue our military operations deep inside Saudi territory and enforce the equation of blockade for blockade, escalation for escalation,” he said, adding that the attacks would continue until Saudi military operations and the blockade against Yemen ended.

The Houthis’ latest operations show that the conflict is escalating, and despite taking some serious losses, Saudi Arabia and its allies in Yemen do not seem to be planning to take a step back.

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• The Yemeni army (Ansar Allah) captured Al-Ariel hill and Madarat in western Taiz city;
• Heavy fighting was reported south of Jabal Arous in the areas of al-Sarari, al-Awat, al-Naidani, Dhi Rahba, Watir and Anbian;
• The Yemeni army (Ansar Allah) launched three ballistic missiles at the al-Alam military camp north of Ataq, killing or wounding dozens of Saudi-backed forces.

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Yemen’s Houthis (Ansar Allah) said on October 19 that they had repelled a large-scale attack by Saudi-backed government forces in eastern al-Jawf province, destroying and damaging military vehicles and seizing weapons during the fighting.

The Houthi military media unit released footage showing the group’s fighters engaging the attacking force at varying distances, using machine guns, artillery, rocket-propelled grenades and anti-tank guided missiles to target personnel and vehicles.

The attack was supported by Saudi warplanes and involved a coordinated advance toward Houthi positions and deeper into territory under their control. Houthi fighters, however, halted the push using prepared defensive positions.

The footage showed several vehicles being struck or left disabled, while Houthi fighters captured a range of weapons and military vehicles.

According to the Houthi military media report, the attacking force eventually withdrew, leaving dead and wounded fighters behind.

The attack in al-Jawf may have been intended to divert Houthi forces and resources from the fronts around Taiz and Bab al-Mandab, where the group has made recent advances against Saudi-backed forces. By applying pressure on a separate front in the northeast, the government side may have sought to stretch the group’s forces and disrupt their ongoing operations in the southwest.

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At least 18 people were killed on October 19 when missiles struck a government military training camp in Yemen’s Shabwa province in an attack later claimed by the Houthis (Ansar Allah), four government and medical sources told Reuters.

At least three ballistic missiles hit Al-Alam camp during morning training, according to the sources cited by the news agency.

China’s Xinhua news agency reported a higher death toll, saying at least 25 soldiers were killed and more than 30 others were wounded. Xinhua cited a government military official and a local medical source.

A Houthi military source later told the Saba news agency that the group had targeted troop concentrations at the camp, claiming dozens of people were killed or wounded.

The deadly strike comes amid escalating fighting between the Houthis, who control the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen, and forces backing the internationally recognized government.

Saudi-backed government forces launched a counterattack earlier this month to recapture Houthi-held territory, regaining ground near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key shipping chokepoint at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. However, the counterattack has largely failed.

Meanwhile, in the province of Taiz, the Houthis managed to place Saudi-backed forces under a tight siege. The group’s fighters are now advancing there slowly but steadily.

The latest strike was a demonstration of the Houthis’ military and intelligence capabilities, which are far superior to those of Saudi-backed forces.

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