Saudi airstrikes hit Sanaa as Houthis claim attacks on Riyadh

　　SANAA, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Saudi airstrikes hit Yemen's capital Sanaa on Monday morning as the Houthi group claimed new missile and drone attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia and southern Yemen.

　　The Houthi-run media outlet Al-Masirah TV reported the airstrikes were "Saudi aggression" against Sanaa. Local residents told Xinhua they heard loud explosions across the city. Details about the locations hit, casualties and damage were not immediately available.

　　The airstrikes came amid an intensifying exchange of attacks between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis, which controls the capital and large swathes of Yemeni territory.

　　Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in two statements posted on social media platform X early Monday that the group launched a ballistic missile at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the Saudi capital.

　　The missile "accurately" struck the airport, Sarea said, adding that Houthi forces also launched several drones targeting crude oil pumping stations along Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline, and achieved "accurate hits." Saudi authorities have not immediately commented on the claims.

　　In a separate statement, Sarea said the Houthis have carried out two operations targeting military gatherings and weapons depots belonging to forces backed by Saudi Arabia in the Salah al-Din area of Aden in southern Yemen and the al-Waht area in neighboring Lahj province.

　　Several ballistic missiles were used in the attacks, he said, noting that they caused dozens of casualties and destroyed or set fire to military vehicles and weapons depots.

　　The latest developments came amid an escalating confrontation between the Houthis and forces of Yemen's internationally recognized government, which is backed by the Saudi-led coalition.

　　The escalation has involved renewed coalition airstrikes on Houthi-held areas and Houthi missile and drone attacks targeting locations deep inside Saudi Arabia.

　　Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of the country's north. The Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government. ■