The Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of launching 26 raids on Sanaa and a fire at the Aramco refinery in Riyadh

The Ansar Allah group accused Saudi Arabia of launching 26 air strikes on the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, on Saturday, while the Yemeni army affiliated with the internationally recognized government announced the implementation of an operation against military targets in the city, coinciding with the outbreak of a fire in an Aramco refinery south of Riyadh, the causes of which were not clear.

The group's Al-Masirah channel reported that Saudi aircraft targeted Sanaa with 26 raids, without providing details about the targeted sites or human losses. Agence France-Presse reported that there were strong explosions and warplanes firing missiles at the city.

For his part, the spokesman for the Yemeni army, Colonel Majid Al-Nuzaili, said that the army carried out an operation against what he described as “vital and legitimate military targets” in Sanaa, according to the government’s Saba news agency.

The Ansar Allah group announced, in a statement, the targeting of an Aramco facility in Riyadh.

In Saudi Arabia, Agence France-Presse reported that flames and smoke were seen rising from Aramco's Riyadh refinery, south of the capital, and fire brigades were trying to extinguish the fire, while ambulances and police were stationed near the facility.

It was not clear whether the fire was linked to the targeting announced by the group. Before the group's statement was issued, Agence France-Presse reported that the Saudi authorities did not comment on the fire, while Reuters reported that Aramco did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Last week, the Ansar Allah group announced targeting Aramco facilities in Yanbu with missiles and drones. Saudi Arabia said at the time that it intercepted six ballistic missiles launched by the group towards Taif and the Yanbu region, without announcing any damage to the company’s facilities.

Al-Masirah TV also reported, on Saturday, that the communications network in Saada Governorate, northwest of Yemen, was targeted by missile strikes.

These developments come after Reuters quoted regional and Western officials that Saudi Arabia is planning to launch an attack on the Ansar Allah group in the coming weeks, led by Yemeni forces on the ground with support from Saudi air strikes.

The Civil Defense said, early Saturday, that the missile was intercepted in Ahad Rufaidah Governorate in the Asir region, south of the Kingdom, and that its fragments injured a person.

This came the day after the Saudi authorities announced that a projectile fired by the Ansar Allah group had fallen on a school in the city of Najran, bordering Yemen, causing material damage. The Civil Defense published pictures that it said showed the damage to the school.

On Friday, the Saudi-led military coalition announced the interception and destruction of four ballistic missiles launched by the Ansar Allah group towards Khamis Mushait, while the group accused Riyadh of carrying out dozens of air and missile strikes on areas under its control in Yemen.

In conjunction with the military escalation, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that Iran had proposed political engagement with the Ansar Allah group, and that a committee affiliated with the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement would discuss the proposal in an emergency meeting in Riyadh next week, as an alternative to military action.

What do sources say about the planned attack?

Reuters quoted six people familiar with the preparations as saying that Yemeni forces supervised by Riyadh would lead the operation on the ground, with support from Saudi air strikes.

They said that one of the main goals of the operation is to stop the rapid gains made by the Ansar Allah group last month, when it advanced on the coast and took control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait area.

According to Gulf and Yemeni officials, Saudi Arabia is considering two options: a limited attack on the area surrounding the strait, or a broader operation that includes simultaneous attacks on multiple fronts in the governorates of Al-Bayda, Ma’rib, Taiz, and Al-Jawf.

It is expected that American support for the operation will be limited to providing intelligence information, while Türkiye, Pakistan and France have provided defensive military assistance to the Kingdom, according to Reuters.

Two Pakistani officials said that last month, their country sent four cargo planes loaded with military equipment to Aden, the headquarters of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, in addition to deploying between 30 and 40 thousand Pakistani soldiers in the Kingdom to help defend its land borders.

Saudi Arabia purchased Turkish drones before the current war, and these drones were also deployed over Yemen. France announced that it would send defense systems and forces to help protect the Saudi city of Yanbu overlooking the Red Sea.

In Washington, Axios reported on Friday that senior members of President Donald Trump's administration held a "secret meeting" chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance at the presidential retreat at Camp David, to discuss the next steps regarding the war with Iran and the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Ansar Allah group.

Dozens of deaths in Taiz and accusations of launching raids on civilian areas

On the ground, violent battles continued on Friday between the Ansar Allah group and the Yemeni government forces on several fronts in the countryside of Taiz Governorate, especially the areas overlooking the western coast, which the group took control of more than two weeks ago.

Military sources in the Ansar Allah group told Agence France-Presse that 55 fighters from the group were killed during the previous 24 hours, while government military sources reported that 26 soldiers from the government forces were killed during the same period.

Military sources in the Yemeni government reported that, on Thursday, the Ansar Allah group blew up a small bridge on the only road linking Taiz and Aden, which led to the cessation of traffic and transportation.

The renewed fighting has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, as the World Food Program warned on Friday that three-quarters of the population are unable to meet their basic food needs.

Experts and observers say that the group is working to isolate the city of Taiz, the third largest city in Yemen in terms of population, and it is still in the hands of government forces, while the Ansar Allah group controls several areas in its vicinity.

The spokesman for the Yemeni forces affiliated with the internationally recognized government said that the forces carried out "71 precise targeting operations" against gatherings and reinforcements of the Ansar Allah group in several areas of the governorate. He added that the operations destroyed means of transportation and support and made the targeted formations lose the ability to continue fighting, according to his account.

The government's Saba news agency also reported that air strikes were carried out targeting the movements, vehicles and gatherings of the Ansar Allah group in Taiz.

On the other hand, the military spokesman for the Ansar Allah group, Yahya Saree, accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out “94 air and missile strikes” within twenty-four hours, which he said targeted civilian facilities in Sanaa, Saada, Taiz, Hajjah, Amran, and Ibb, and caused civilian deaths and injuries.

He added that F-15 and Typhoon planes took off from the Khamis Mushait and Taif bases to carry out the strikes, and that the missiles were launched from Najran and Jizan. He said that the total Saudi strikes since the start of the escalation amounted to "1,350 air and missile strikes."

On Thursday night, the Saba News Agency, affiliated with the Ansar Allah group, reported that Sanaa and the governorates of Saada, Taiz and Amran were subjected to Saudi air strikes.

Iranian proposal for the political track

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, the three members of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, will determine their next steps during an emergency meeting scheduled in Riyadh next week, the date of which has not yet been set.

Over the past weeks, the Ansar Allah group has expanded its control to include the entire western coast overlooking the Red Sea, including the Bab al-Mandab region, which has gained increasing importance for Riyadh in exporting its oil, in light of Iran’s restriction of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.