Saudi-led coalition orders evacuation of Sanaa oil facility ahead of planned operation

The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen issued a public warning on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, directing civilians to evacuate the Yemen Petroleum Company's Al-Sabaha central fuel station on the western outskirts of Sanaa.

Coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki released a map marking the site and stated that the Joint Forces Command requested the departure for civilian safety ahead of a planned operation. The announcement followed an earlier note from Al-Maliki that an evacuation warning for a Sanaa site would be issued shortly for a precision action.

Hours later, Houthi-affiliated media reported that Saudi-led aircraft struck the facility. Al-Masirah television stated that the oil company site in Al-Sabaha was targeted. Correspondents in Sanaa reported hearing explosions after the coalition warning.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree issued a direct counter-warning. He stated that any strikes on Sanaa would draw a harsh and painful response in Riyadh. Saree also directed employees and civilians near Saudi Aramco facilities to leave those sites, describing them as legitimate targets for Houthi forces.

The exchange fits a pattern of escalation that began in late September. Houthis seized territory along Yemen's Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab strait last month. Saudi Arabia has since conducted airstrikes in Houthi-held areas and supported a government counteroffensive. In return, Houthis have launched missiles and drones at Saudi airports and energy infrastructure.

King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh remains closed after a Houthi missile strike on Saturday that killed at least one person and wounded others. Earlier strikes on the same terminal killed 12 people and injured more than 300. Coalition air defenses reported intercepting three drones north of Riyadh on Tuesday.

The wider context includes ongoing hostilities between the United States and Iran. Houthis, backed by Tehran, have treated the Yemen conflict as part of that larger confrontation. Saudi Arabia has faced repeated attacks on its energy sector, which supplies a large share of global oil exports.

The coalition's map and public warning represent a shift toward advance notice for specific sites in Sanaa. Previous operations often occurred without such detailed public maps. The Al-Sabaha station was described by Houthi sources as empty of petroleum products and lacking military value, though the coalition treated it as a valid target for the planned action.

Air travel disruptions continue. French authorities advised citizens to avoid Riyadh and Jeddah airports. The pattern of mutual threats on oil infrastructure raises the risk of further interruptions to shipping and refining capacity in the region.

No independent casualty figures for the Tuesday strike on the Sanaa facility were immediately available from neutral observers. The coalition has not released a detailed after-action statement. Houthi channels framed the strike as aggression against a civilian energy site.

The sequence on 13 October shows both sides using evacuation warnings as signaling tools. The coalition's map identified a precise industrial location. The Houthi response named Aramco facilities and Riyadh as potential retaliation points. This reciprocal language indicates that energy infrastructure remains a central bargaining and targeting focus in the current phase of fighting.

Further developments will depend on whether additional strikes follow the Al-Sabaha operation and whether Houthis carry out the threatened response against Saudi sites. The closure of Riyadh airport already demonstrates the practical effect of the attacks on commercial activity.