Saudi Arabia has resumed its strikes in Yemen, with the Saudi-led coalition carrying out airstrikes against oil facilities west of the capital, Sanaa, according to reports Tuesday by the Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah television channel and residents of the Yemeni capital. Saudi media also reported a strike in Hodeidah. Meanwhile, unusual footage circulating on social media shows direct fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces in a barren desert area of Yemen.
U.S. President Donald Trump also commented on the developments, saying: "The Houthis are behaving very badly. I thought they had learned their lesson a year ago when we bombed them and stopped at their request. They were quiet for a long time, but now they've raised their heads again, probably on Iran's orders."
Clashes between the Houthis and pro-Saudi forces in Yemen
(Video: Daily Maill)
"They have returned to behaving in a particularly nasty way, attacking Saudi Arabia and deliberately trying to drive up oil prices, probably ahead of the elections in the United States. Not nice! Someone should explain to them that I'm not running in the elections. I already won, in a huge landslide, but I'll still be here after the elections, and I'll never forget!"
British newspaper the Daily Mail reported that the footage was believed to show Houthi rebels pursuing pro-Saudi forces. The precise location was not disclosed, but the videos show a Saudi convoy of armored vehicles attempting to storm Houthi positions in the desert.
The British newspaper described the fighting as reminiscent of "Mad Max," the post-apocalyptic action film. In one video, a body can be seen flying through the air, apparently following a strike by an anti-tank weapon, before crashing to the ground.
Another video shows a pickup truck speeding across the sand, with soldiers riding in the back bouncing violently up and down. One of them is thrown from the vehicle and left behind as the others continue driving.
Meanwhile, Al-Masirah reported the resumption of airstrikes in Yemen. Witnesses in Sanaa said they heard explosions, although it was not immediately clear which oil facilities had been hit.
Earlier, coalition forces issued an evacuation warning for the al-Sabaha oil facility and nearby storage areas. The site is located on a hill west of Sanaa overlooking the capital. According to the Associated Press, the area is uninhabited.
The airport hit in a deadly attack was also issued an evacuation warning
Shortly after the warning, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced that any Saudi strike on Sanaa would be met with a "decisive and painful" response in Riyadh. Saree claimed the al-Sabaha facility was empty of petroleum products and was "militarily worthless as a target."
The Yemen Petroleum Company also said it had "already taken all necessary precautions to deal with any emergency, with the aim of ensuring stable supplies and continuing to meet residents' needs without disruption."
According to the company, "The al-Sabaha facilities currently contain no petroleum products, and targeting them will not affect oil reserves or supplies."
The Houthis responded by issuing their own evacuation warning to civilians near facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco.
Saree linked the threat against Sanaa to Aramco, saying: "The Houthi forces call on all civilians to evacuate immediately and stay away from the targets that the forces will strike if Saudi Arabia carries out its threat regarding Sanaa."
The sites listed in the Houthi announcement were Aramco's headquarters in Dammam, Saudi Arabia; King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, which recently suffered a devastating strike; and Aramco's refinery in Riyadh. A map accompanied the warning.
The exchange of threats comes as Saudi Arabia investigates how its air defense systems failed to prevent Saturday's unprecedented deadly strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, which killed at least 13 people and injured more than 300.
The Houthi missile attacks on Saudi airports mark a dramatic turning point in the long-running conflict between the two sides. The Houthis' ability to enforce an air blockade on Saudi Arabia has been a major humiliation for the kingdom's authorities, with no end to the situation currently in sight.
The disruptions are placing additional pressure on the aviation industry, which has already been struggling in recent years with the consequences of wars across the Middle East and soaring fuel prices.
Saudi Arabia had expected the United States to intervene more directly in Riyadh's war against the Houthis. For now, however, the Americans have limited their involvement to providing intelligence, identifying targets and assisting in the planning of Saudi attacks, without carrying out their own direct strikes in Yemen.
On Saturday, Trump signaled that he might change that position and take a more active role in supporting Saudi Arabia's military campaign.