SANA’A -- Yemeni armed forces launched a wave of missile and drone strikes deep inside Saudi Arabia on Saturday, targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and strategic oil infrastructure, as Ansarullah-led forces consolidated control over mountain ranges overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait and vowed to continue retaliating against the Saudi regime’s “criminal aggression” and “unjust siege” on Yemen.
The strikes marked the first time in years that Riyadh’s main international airport was hit, with eyewitnesses reporting flames and a massive column of black smoke rising from the vicinity of the airport. 
Reuters published images showing smoke apparently coming from a fuel-storage area, and Agence France-Presse reported that firefighters were battling a blaze at an Aramco fuel tank near the airport.
Saudi Civil Defense issued emergency alerts across Riyadh and the adjacent governorate of al-Kharj early Saturday, warning residents of an immediate aerial threat and instructing them to stay indoors and away from windows.
Similar alerts were reported in Yanbu, al-Ula, Khamis Mushait, Jizan, Abha, and Taif. Flight-tracking data showed major disruption at King Khalid International Airport, with numerous delays and cancellations and the airport reaching the highest level on Flightradar24’s disruption index.
The strikes came as Yemeni armed forces, backed by Sana’a, consolidated their control over the Al-Aghbara mountain range in the Al-Mudhariba and Ras al-Ara areas of Lahij Province, extending toward the Kahbub mountain range overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait. 
Local sources reported that the Saudi-backed Giants Brigades retreated and
 abandoned their positions following the Yemeni advance.
The sources added that Sana’a forces assured local tribes they would only target gatherings of Saudi-backed forces. The control of these positions strengthens Yemen’s presence around Bab al-Mandab, gives them greater surveillance and oversight of the area, and enables them to prevent any gathering or movement by enemy forces along the western coast.
The advance follows the Yemeni Armed Forces’ large-scale operation “Allah is Stronger in Might and More Severe in Punishment,” launched on September 3 from multiple directions. 
According to a military statement, the operation expelled Saudi-backed forces from six districts in Ta’izz and Hudaydah governorates covering 5,400 square kilometers, targeted seven military divisions comprising 38 brigades, and killed, captured, or wounded hundreds of their members.
Yemen’s Foreign Ministry in Sana’a issued a statement on Saturday condemning Saudi military actions as “criminal and Daesh-like,” stressing that Yemen reserves its legitimate right to respond to any Saudi action targeting its security and stability and will take necessary measures in this regard.
The ministry criticized the “media noise” raised by some countries after every legitimate Yemeni response, describing it as a cover that legitimizes Saudi activities in the region. 
It called on the international community to assume its responsibility for the “criminal and Daesh-like actions” the Saudi regime has pursued against Yemen.
The statement also referenced Saudi Arabia’s previous actions in many countries of the region, “at the forefront of which are Yemen, Iraq, and Syria,” describing them as part of a continuous pattern.
According to Yemeni Armed Forces figures, Saudi warplanes have carried out approximately 300 airstrikes in the past week alone, targeting the governorates of Ta’izz, Hajjah, Ma’rib, al-Jawf, al-Bayda, Amran, Lahij, al-Hudaydah, and Sa’ada.
The escalation has raised concerns about global oil supplies. Bloomberg reported that Saudi Aramco has notified at least two European refineries that they will not receive crude oil under long-term contracts next month, following drone attacks on the East-West pipeline that damaged three pumping stations and disrupted loading at the Yanbu port on the Red Sea.
The attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure, combined with the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz, have created a dual chokepoint crisis for global energy markets. The Bab al-Mandab Strait, which Yemeni forces now effectively control, is a vital maritime route linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.