In a significant escalation, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for attacks on Saudi oil giant Aramco and other energy facilities in the southern region of the Kingdom. The strikes occurred early Tuesday, as confirmed by Saudi authorities. This development highlights ongoing tensions in the region and the potential impact on global energy markets.
The attack on the jail killed 11 people and left 20 inmates missing beneath the rubble, Yemeni television channel Almasirah quoted Hassan Saboula, director-general of civil defence in Jawf province, as saying. A Saudi Energy Ministry official source said specialised field teams were deployed to contain the fires, secure the facilities and assess the damage, Al Arabiya reported. The Houthi military spokesperson said the group would announce in the coming hours a broad operation deep into Saudi territory, Reuters reported.
The ministry said, “The needed measures will be taken to ensure the safety of the facilities and workers and the continuation of work according to the approved operational plans. “The Terrorist Houthi Militia’s senseless attacks, the latest of which targeted civilian and economic sites”, resulted in “injuries to (73) civilians,” the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition said in a statement. Saudi authorities said one strike hit the refinery and caused a fire. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said Riyadh had taken “escalatory steps” by carrying out airstrikes on Yemen and warned that Houthi attacks would not go unanswered.
“The Command will also take all necessary measures and actions to respond to the sources of the threat and neutralise its danger. Last month, the Houthis claimed responsibility for two attacks in one week on the Jazan refining complex. The group also claimed an attack in July and has targeted Saudi-linked shipping in the Red Sea , including a supertanker last month.
