Loud blasts rock Sanaa as Houthis accuse Saudi forces of pounding Yemeni capital

Loud explosions were heard in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa on Saturday, as the Houthis reported air strikes in the area by Saudi forces.

One correspondent heard at least five blasts in different areas, while another saw two warplanes firing missiles on the city.

Al-Masirah TV, a Houthi-affiliated media outlet, reported "Saudi aggression" against the capital, without providing details on the targets or casualties.

The channel had also earlier on Saturday reported missile strikes on the telecommunications network in the northwestern governorate of Saada, a Houthi stronghold.

Saudi Arabia bombed the Yemeni capital on Thursday night for the first time since renewed fighting broke out between the two sides in July, the Houthis claimed.

After several years of calm, Yemen was plunged back into civil war in July, pitting the Iran-backed Houthis, who control most of northwest Yemen including Sanaa, against Yemen's internationally recognised government, which is backed by neighbouring Saudi Arabia.

The government, based in the city of Aden, controls much of the country's south and east – a region that is larger but less populated.

Hostilities were reignited after fours years of a fragile truce when Iran sent a plane to Sanaa carrying a Houthi delegation.

The flight did not seek authorisation from Saudi Arabia, contravening a practice in place for a decade.

Riyadh retaliated with strikes on Sanaa airport, and in response the Houthis attacked Saudi territory for the first time since 2022.

Read moreSaudi-led coalition accuses Houthis of striking Medina power station

Since then, fighting has intensified with the Houthis launching a lightning offensive which saw them seize control of coastal regions along the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait.

They have also struck multiple Saudi targets including oil infrastructure and the capital Riyadh while also announcing a naval blockade on Saudi ships in the Red Sea.

Flames and smoke were seen rising from a facility belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco south of the kingdom's capital Riyadh on Saturday, an AFP journalist said.

The circumstances remained unclear but in recent weeks Aramco, majority-owned by the Saudi state, has come under attack from the Houthis. 

Both the Houthis and Saudi authorities had yet to comment on the incident.

Battle for Taiz

Fighting in recent days has centred on Taiz, where 80 combatants in the conflict were reported dead on Friday by sources on both sides.

The Houthis reported 55 of their fighters had been killed while government sources told AFP that 26 troops had died.

The battle for Taiz is taking place on several fronts, including highlands overlooking coastal areas recently seized by the Houthis.

While the Houthis have conquered swaths of territory, they have yet to wrest control of Taiz city, which is Yemen's third-largest after Sanaa and Aden.

The Houthis also on Friday said Saudi Arabia had launched 94 strikes against areas under their control in the past 24 hours.

Saudi authorities meanwhile reported a Houthi projectile had damaged a school in the city of Najran near the Yemen border.

Riyadh has reportedly requested help from the United States, a call so far rebuffed by US President Donald Trump.

On Saturday US media outlet Axios reported that top cabinet members in the Trump administration met the day before to discuss Yemen as well as the Iran conflict, citing three US officials.