Houthis Blame Saudi Arabia as Sanaa Strikes Kill 1 and Wound 9

Overnight strikes on a gas station and an oil facility in Yemen killed at least one person and wounded nine others, residents and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels said on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press. The Houthi-run health ministry blamed Saudi Arabia for both attacks. The AP could not independently verify that claim.

The damage was not limited to the targets themselves. Homes and shops near the oil site were hit, and residents of the capital, Sanaa, were woken by the blasts.

What the Houthi health ministry reported

Ministry spokesperson Anees al-Asbahi said on X that one strike hit a gas station in a district of Sanaa, killing one person and wounding three. He said a second airstrike targeted an oil company, wounding at least six people. He described extensive damage to nearby homes and shops and said residents panicked.

What residents describe

Sanaa resident Khaled al-Khawlani told the AP he was horrified by the explosions that struck the oil facility near residential areas at around 4 a.m. Another resident, who asked not to be named for security reasons, said the blasts shattered his windows and echoed across the city while people slept.

The fighting behind the strikes

The AP reported that the strikes come amid renewed fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces, which escalated this summer. The rebels continue to target Saudi energy facilities and airports. They say the campaign is meant to pressure Saudi Arabia into lifting its blockade on Yemen.

Early Tuesday, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis, said on X that a drone was intercepted and destroyed in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia. The AP could not independently verify that statement either.

Why it matters for people in Sanaa

Fuel and oil sites in or near residential districts put ordinary residents directly in harm's way. In this case, according to the Houthi health ministry, people in nearby homes and shops were hurt or frightened, and property was damaged. Both sides are now hitting energy infrastructure, and each blames the other for the escalation. The competing claims have not been independently confirmed.

Iran and Washington trade statements on ending the war

Elsewhere in the region, Iranian officials used Tuesday to project strength. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said in a late Monday post on X that the war had “wrecked” the U.S. government. He said it was time for Washington to give in to seven conditions Iran has repeatedly put forward for ending the conflict. He also dismissed talk of negotiations as invented.

His remarks came after President Donald Trump told reporters in Washington on Monday that the war in Iran is militarily effectively over. Trump spoke after meeting Qatar's prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, and said the U.S. is keeping the status quo for now. The AP said that suggests he is not prepared to resume airstrikes at this time.

Tehran says it will not resume talks until the U.S. makes concessions. These include lifting sanctions and the blockade on Iranian ports, unfreezing Iranian assets, paying compensation for war damage and ending regional hostilities, including Israeli operations in Lebanon.

Iran shows off missiles

Iran's Revolutionary Guard also displayed what it described as an underground missile city and new surface-to-surface missiles it did not identify. State TV aired a heavily edited, partly blurred video of Gen. Ali Abdollahi, chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, visiting the facility. The broadcast did not say when the visit took place or where the site is. Abdollahi said Israel failed to defeat Iran in recent wars and that Iran would have another surprise in any future conflict.

On Saturday, Revolutionary Guard spokesman Gen. Hossein Mohebbi said Iran has lifted limits on its missiles. Iran previously said their range was capped at 2,000 kilometers, or 1,250 miles. Last week, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei urged a stern military response to any possible U.S. or Israeli strikes, according to the official IRNA news agency.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by The Independent, ABC News

Cover photo: Mohamed Hashem Muzayed / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0, cropped