Houthis launch major military operation against oil facilities

The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen said they launched a major military operation against oil facilities and an international airport in Saudi Arabia.

This as thousands of Yemenis rallied Wednesday in the southern city of Aden to mark the 63rd anniversary of the 14th October revolution.

Tuesday's Iran-backed Houthi attack on oil facilities and the international airport in Riyadh involved ballistic and cruise missiles and drones,

and came after the Saudi-led coalition struck an oil facility in Yemen's rebel-held capital of Sanaa.

Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense said Wednesday debris from two intercepted Houthi missiles fell on residential areas in Riyadh, injuring four people and damaging 15 homes.

Footage from Ansar Allah Media Office, the Houthi group's media arm shows vehicles and troops moving through the Dhobab desert with gunfire heard in the background.

Then a vehicle is hit and goes up in smoke. Men heard chanting "God is great". And, "Death to America"

The Saudis and Houthis began fighting in 2015, when the kingdom entered Yemen's civil war on behalf of the internationally recognised government.

Relative calm after a 2022 ceasefire ended in July when the Houthis resumed attacks saying the Saudis fired on the Sanaa airport as a plane from Iran was trying to land.

The attack revived anger over the Saudi-led blockade that has largely isolated Houthi-run areas. The rebels say they have now imposed a blockade on Saudi Arabia.

This as thousands of Yemenis rallied Wednesday in the southern city of Aden to mark the 63rd anniversary of the October 14th revolution.

Supporters waved flags of the former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, an independent southern state that existed from 1967 to 1990.

This local resident said, "We took to the streets today, one the occasion of October 14 National Day in response to the call of leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi.

We are answering this call to defend our homeland and fight the Houthis and any enemy that attacks our southern homeland.

Meanwhile, the United Nations announced the release of a staff member who had been detained by the Houthis during a press conference Wednesday.

Farhan Haq, Deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary-general said "We welcome the release of Sami al-Kalabi, a staff member of the Office

of the Special Envoy for Yemen, who had been detained by the Houthis since 2024. He is now back home with his family. This is a positive step in the right direction,

and we hope he will be able to receive the specialised medical care he urgently requires."

The UN called for the immediate release of the 71 other UN personnel and others detained by the Houthis.