Houthis Target Saudi Oil Sites as UN Extends Sanctions
Saudi-led coalition forces reported intercepting suspected Houthi drones Thursday over the Riyadh region and Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, coinciding with a United Nations Security Council vote to renew Yemen sanctions for one year, Al Jazeera reported. Coalition spokesperson Major General Turki al-Maliki announced the interceptions in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, according to Al Jazeera. The Hindu reported that the coalition also destroyed two ballistic missiles targeting western Saudi Arabia and two drones in the south and near Mecca late Wednesday, with Saudi civil defence reporting missile debris fell in Sabouha, about 35 km from Mecca.
Houthi Claims on Oil and Military Targets
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on X that the group targeted Pumping Station No. 7 on Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline with a drone and an oil facility in the Red Sea port of Yanbu with a ballistic missile, The Hindu reported. According to Al Jazeera, Saudi authorities say roughly 4 million barrels of crude daily, or about 4 percent of global supply, have been diverted through the East-West Pipeline to Yanbu. On Monday, Saudi Arabia said an earlier attack on the pipeline caused a fire without disrupting operations, while a Saudi Aramco skyscraper in Riyadh was hit Sunday by falling shrapnel from an attempted attack, The Hindu reported. Saudi Arabia stayed silent following the November 12, 2026 Houthi claims of strikes on Yanbu oil facilities and the East-West Pipeline, according to House of Saud. Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline was shut on September 13, 2026 following drone attacks, halting crude loadings at Yanbu, according to Egypt Oil & Gas.
Saree also claimed a drone struck a military cargo plane at Sharurah airport near the Yemeni border and a ballistic missile hit Khamis Mushait airbase, Al Jazeera reported. He said Houthi forces targeted Saudi Aramco headquarters in Riyadh, while denying as a "grave falsehood" Saudi claims that the group targeted the Mecca region on Wednesday, according to Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, Yemen's Defence Ministry said in a statement cited by the Saba news agency that its offensive against the Houthis was moving toward its "desired objectives," Al Jazeera reported.
UNSC Sanctions Extension and Displacement
On Thursday, the UN Security Council unanimously extended Yemen sanctions, including asset freezes and travel bans, along with the UN Panel of Experts mandate for one more year, Al Jazeera reported. The UNSC statement condemned Houthi military escalation, cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia, and threats to commercial shipping, while affirming that sanctions "shall not apply to humanitarian assistance or supplies for basic needs of civilians," according to Al Jazeera. China's UN envoy Fu Cong said, "The council sanctions are merely a means, not an end in themselves," expressing hope for de-escalation, Al Jazeera noted.
Al Jazeera reported that the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Thursday that more than 333,000 people have been displaced in Yemen since early August, including over 24,000 in the past week. EU foreign policy spokesperson Anouar El-Anouni told Reuters the bloc remains in regular contact with Riyadh but declined to comment on specific discussions, Al Jazeera reported.