Saudi-led coalition hits Yemen oil site as Houthi attacks rage on

The Saudi-led coalition launched two air raids on an oil facility in Bajil district in western Yemen's Hodeidah governorate on Sunday, according to Al-Masirah TV, a media outlet tied to the Houthis. The outlet reported that three civilians were wounded in the strikes. Paparazzi has not independently verified the casualty figures.

The attacks are the latest round in a running exchange between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, with both sides hammering energy infrastructure. The Houthis have also been firing on Yemen's presidential palace, keeping the conflict's pressure on symbols of state power as well as oil assets.

The coalition's own messaging has stayed busy. Spokesperson Colonel Turki al-Maliki said Saturday that its forces intercepted and destroyed a drone over Riyadh, adding that debris fell without causing injuries and that authorities are investigating the site. The coalition has previously reported downing Houthi drones aimed at the kingdom, including one flying toward the south.

Wednesday brought more crossfire: Saudi fighter jets struck Taiz province in western Yemen, with Iran's semi-official Tasnim News saying residential areas in the Al-Shamayatayn district were bombed. Yemen's pro-Saudi government said the Houthis hit the presidential palace in Aden and the city's airport the day before. Houthi attacks on Saudi energy sites have also hit the monarchy's oil exports.

Meanwhile, the human toll keeps climbing beyond the battlefield. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "appalled" by the death of UN staffer Mohammad el-Shami, who was in Houthi custody, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said. El-Shami, who worked with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, had been arbitrarily detained by the Houthis since 6 June 2024, and the circumstances of his death remain unclear.

What happens next hinges on whether the tit-for-tat strikes on oil facilities and drones keep escalating. For now, both sides are still swinging, and civilians in Hodeidah are counting the cost.