Yemeni government forces launch airstrikes in Houthi-controlled areas... Attention is drawn to the connection between attacks on Saudi oil facilities

Reuters reported on this day that Yemeni government forces announced on the 4th (local time) that they were carrying out airstrikes targeting the Houthis in areas such as Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, controlled by the rebel Houthis.

According to reports, a Yemeni government military spokesman said that airstrikes were being carried out targeting key targets in the capital, Sanaa, and Saada, one of the Houthi strongholds. However, the specific target of the airstrike was not disclosed.

Amid reports that a strong explosion was heard in Sanaa, believed to have been caused by an airstrike, Yemeni government forces officially confirmed the attack.

The previous day, on the 3rd, at least five explosions were heard in various parts of Yemen, including Sanaa, and two fighter jets were seen firing missiles at the city.

Al Masira TV, a Houthi media outlet, reported that Saudi Arabia attacked Sanaa 26 times and that hospital facilities such as obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics were damaged and visitors to the hospital were injured.

Saudi Arabia has not made an official statement regarding the Houthi attack for the second day.

This move also came the day after flames and smoke rose from the Saudi state-run oil company Aramco's facility south of Riyadh, the Saudi capital, the previous afternoon.

At the time, Al Masira TV claimed that the Houthis had "responded to Saudi provocations" and bombed military bases in Khamis Mushait and Taif, in addition to "sensitive targets" such as oil facilities in Riyadh, Najran, Jizan, and Asir.

Yemen has been going through a brutal civil war for the past 10 years, divided between the pro-Iranian Houthis, who rule the north, and the Saudi-backed southern government forces.

The Houthis took control of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, in 2014, and Saudi Arabia began a military intervention in 2015 under the pretext of supporting the internationally recognized Yemeni government.

Although a ceasefire was reached through UN mediation in 2022, in conjunction with the recent war between the United States and Iran, fighting between the two sides is intensifying as the Houthis, a member of the 'Axis of Resistance', have taken control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the entrance to the Red Sea.

The Houthis have declared a blockade of strait traffic for Saudi ships, restricting Saudi crude oil exports, and are increasing the frequency of attacks on key Saudi energy facilities.

The day before, foreign media outlets, including Reuters, reported that Saudi and Yemeni government forces were preparing a large-scale ground and air offensive against the Houthi rebels, and that it was highly likely that this would be carried out within a few days at the earliest.