Yemeni forces tighten their grip on the strategic southwestern city, with officials saying Ta’izz is practically liberated, as strikes halt the East-West pipeline to the Red Sea again and hit Aramco facilities near Riyadh.

SANA'A -- Yemeni armed forces tightened their encirclement of Ta'izz on Monday, bringing the strategic southwestern city to the brink of complete liberation.

They also launched a wave of retaliatory missile and drone strikes deep inside Saudi Arabia that have severed the kingdom's most critical oil export artery and disrupted air navigation over Riyadh and Jeddah.

The developments mark a dramatic escalation in the war and underscore the growing reach of Yemeni military capabilities, which have now demonstrated the ability to strike at the heart of Saudi Arabia's economic infrastructure with precision and impunity.

In Ta'izz governorate, Yemeni forces led by Ansarullah have made decisive advances in recent days, completing the encirclement of Ta'izz city and severing the last remaining supply routes linking the city to the Saudi-backed former fugitive regime's strongholds in Aden.

According to field sources, Yemeni forces captured the town of al-Turbah and the strategic mountain ranges south of Ta'izz that overlook maritime traffic in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, despite more than 90 Saudi airstrikes aimed at halting the advance.

Local sources confirmed that Saudi-backed mercenary groups withdrew from al-Turbah after being surrounded from multiple directions, with Salafi groups and Saudi officers evacuating the area.

Areas including al-Rakiza, al-Safiya, Duba', Bani Shaybah al-Sharq, and al-Aza'iz have been cleared of Riyadh-aligned forces.

Hizam al-Asad, a member of Ansarullah's political bureau, declared that Ta'izz has been "practically liberated" and is now under complete siege, with local brigades composed of residents of the governorate itself participating in the liberation of several areas.

"The Yemeni people possess a powerful deterrent force that will be used by the armed forces if necessary," he warned.

Muhammed al-Bukhaiti, a senior Ansarullah official, dismissed claims of Saudi-backed advances in Ta'izz, the western coast, and Bab al-Mandab as "delusions" caused by "Riyadh syndrome" that has severed these forces' connection to reality.

"The battle of Ta'izz is nearly over," he said, noting that mercenaries had similarly claimed advances in Hydadah before losing the entire western coast and the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Tribal sources reported that Ansarullah-led forces have opened communication channels with tribal sheikhs and social figures for the surrender of Ta'izz without further confrontation.

Sultan al-Barakani, the speaker of Yemen's parliament and a figure close to Saudi Arabia, reportedly contacted Sana'a leaders to request the protection of his palace in Wadi al-Barakani.

The advances in Ta'izz were matched by a devastating wave of retaliatory strikes inside Saudi Arabia.

Brigadier General Yahya Saree, spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, announced that Yemeni forces targeted Aramco facilities in Riyadh and the Khurais region, east of the capital, using ballistic missiles and drones.

Both operations "successfully achieved their objectives," he said, causing extensive fires at the targeted sites.

An AFP correspondent in Riyadh witnessed flames and thick smoke rising from the Aramco facility south of the capital, with firefighters attempting to extinguish the blaze while ambulances and police vehicles deployed around the site.

Videos circulating online showed black smoke and flames spewing from at least two points within the facility, and satellite fire-monitoring data indicated unusual thermal anomalies over the site.

Saree said the operations were carried out in retaliation for Saudi aggression, noting that the kingdom had launched 50 airstrikes and missile attacks against Sana'a, al-Jawf, Ta'izz, Amran, Hajjah, and Sa’ada provinces in the preceding 12 hours alone.

He noted that the total number of Saudi airstrikes and missile attacks since the latest escalation began has reached 1,460.

The most economically devastating blow came with the targeting of Saudi Arabia's strategic East-West oil pipeline.

An energy sector source told AFP that oil flows through the 1,200-kilometer conduit were halted again after a new attack on a pumping station in the Khurais area east of Riyadh — a facility that had not been targeted before. The source described the damage as extensive.

The pipeline, which connects Saudi Arabia's eastern oil fields to the Yanbu terminal on the Red Sea coast, has become a critical alternative export route since the war around the Strait of Hormuz disrupted the kingdom's primary maritime export artery. The pipeline had already been halted from September 11 to 22 following earlier attacks.

Yemeni strikes on the pipeline represent a direct threat to the kingdom's economic lifeline at a time when its main export route through the Strait of Hormuz remains compromised.

Aramco has been forced to slash prices for Asian customers to their lowest levels in over six years, reflecting the severe disruption to Saudi export capacity.

In a further escalation, the Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center in Sana'a issued a direct warning to all airlines operating in Saudi airspace, declaring it unsafe and stating that "the airspace of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be a theater for the operations of our armed forces".

The warning was issued after Yemeni missile and drone strikes targeted Riyadh and Jeddah, leading to the suspension of flights at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah.

The coordination center said the Republic of Yemen "disclaims its responsibility after this announcement," signaling that further strikes on Saudi territory are imminent.

The Yemeni advances come as Saudi Arabia and its allies prepare a major ground offensive aimed at recapturing the western coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

According to reports, Riyadh has deployed large numbers of Salafi fighters to the Ras al-Ara and al-Mudaraba axes in western Lahj province, and has mobilized thousands of Yemeni, Sudanese, and Pakistani forces in Jizan camps.

Saudi Arabia has also coordinated with al-Amaliqa forces and other allied groups under the command of Abdulrahman al-Mahrami, who returned from Riyadh to Aden to oversee the offensive.

A meeting at coalition headquarters in Aden was reportedly targeted by preemptive strikes, and Yemeni forces attacked the al-Qa'wah camp, which houses al-Amaliqa and "Homeland Shield" forces overlooking the Gulf of Aden.

Al-Asad warned that the enemy would suffer heavy losses and significant casualties if it launches an all-out war. "Any aggressor against Yemen will pay its price, and the Saudi regime will be the biggest loser," he said.

Yemeni forces have reportedly prepared elite ground units with advanced combat skills that have not yet been fully deployed. According to Hussein al-Azi, a member of Ansarullah's political bureau, "the real battle for which Sana'a is preparing has not yet begun".

The escalation coincides with reports that Saudi-backed former regime leader Rashad al-Alimi declared the start of a military operation to "retake remaining territories" — a declaration that came as Ansarullah forces advanced on Ta'izz and severed the Aden road.

Reuters reported that over 100,000 forces could be mobilized, with Saudi Arabia providing air support. The United States is reportedly providing intelligence but has refused to participate directly in combat operations.

The strikes on Aramco facilities and the East-West pipeline mark the latest in a series of Yemeni operations deep inside Saudi territory, following attacks on Yanbu, Jazan, Abha, and other targets in recent weeks.

The confirmed range of Yemeni ballistic missiles — 1,500 kilometers — covers the entire territory of Saudi Arabia.