Houthi forces hit Riyadh refinery as Saudi air raids strike Sanaa and Taiz

Refinery strike in Riyadh

On Saturday, 3 October 2026, Houthi forces launched a cross-border attack against energy infrastructure in the Saudi capital, striking an Aramco oil refinery in Riyadh. Multiple regional news outlets, including the Hormuz Report, documented the incident as photos and video footage emerged showing thick columns of black smoke ascending over the industrial site. Satellite observations cited by regional media registered intense thermal activity concentrated directly across the refinery complex following the impact. The strike represents a broader pattern of recent cross-border operations utilizing unmanned aerial drones and ballistic missiles. Saudi air defence and strategic monitoring networks also tracked inbound projectiles targeting key industrial and logistical installations situated around both Riyadh and the southern border territory of Jizan.

Bombardments reported in Sanaa

Simultaneously, heavy aerial bombardments shook Yemen's rebel-held capital of Sanaa on the morning of Saturday, 3 October. Correspondents from Agence France-Presse stationed on the ground reported hearing at least five powerful detonations echoing across different districts of the city. Houthi-affiliated media networks, including the Almasirah television channel, stated that Saudi forces carried out the raids, characterizing the morning bombardment as direct aggression against the capital. The Saturday strikes followed earlier aerial activity recorded on Thursday evening, when foreign correspondents in Sanaa documented three substantial explosions in the urban area. Neither Saudi coalition authorities nor local Houthi officials released immediate damage assessments regarding the urban infrastructure or military sites struck during the Saturday morning raids.

Scale of the Saudi aerial campaign

The strikes on the capital form part of a wider wave of air operations conducted across Houthi-administered regions of Yemen over preceding days. On Friday, 2 October, Houthi military authorities accused the Saudi military of carrying out 94 separate bombardment missions within a single 24-hour timeframe, impacting locations in Sanaa and surrounding provinces. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree addressed the sustained aerial campaign, noting that the coordinated strikes resulted in casualties across the targeted zones without releasing a definitive tally of the dead and wounded.

These operations have made victims, dead and wounded.

According to statements issued by the pro-Iranian militia, the overall number of Saudi strikes directed against Houthi installations and troop positions has reached 1,350 since the current phase of fighting began.

Ground clashes in Taiz province

Alongside the exchange of long-range aerial and missile strikes, intense ground combat erupted between opposing forces in southwestern Yemen near the city of Taiz. Military sources from both factions confirmed substantial casualties sustained during heavy frontline engagements over a 24-hour span. Representatives from Houthi military circles stated that 55 anti-government fighters died during the localized clashes near the city. In parallel, Yemeni government officials informed AFP that 26 government soldiers were killed in action during the same defensive and offensive maneuvers in the sector. The ground battle near Taiz took place alongside the escalating aerial exchanges that struck Sanaa and strategic infrastructure inside Saudi Arabia.