Sana’a factory in flames as Houthis, government forces exchange strikes

Firefighters in Yemen’s capital Sana’a battled to contain the flames at a cement factory on Tuesday – the result, Houthi media says, of an airstrike by Saudi-backed government forces.

Houthi rebels earlier said two people were killed in a separate strike on a petrol station near the besieged city of Taiz.

The Houthis also claimed to have targeted Saudi Arabia’s biggest oil refinery with a ballistic missile.

“The Yemeni Armed Forces were able to target the Ras Tanura refinery in the Eastern Province with a ballistic missile,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree posted on X, saying the strike caused “massive fires.”

A resident in the nearby city of Al Khobar told AFP he heard explosions around dawn and received a text message alert.

“We got the alert on the mobile and then heard a very loud bang,” the resident said.

The Ras Tanura facility along Saudi Arabia’s eastern Gulf coast is home to one of the largest refineries in the Middle East and a cornerstone of the kingdom’s energy sector.

The complex has a capacity of 550,000 barrels per day. It has been repeatedly targeted by Iranian strikes, including a drone attack in early March that forced a partial shutdown of the refinery.

Saudi authorities say they intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles targeting Riyadh.

In an unconfirmed report, the Houthis claimed a direct hit on the ministry of defence.