Yemen’s Houthi rebels have launched a major offensive against Saudi Arabia’s energy storage facilities. The bomber struck shortly after noon in front of a Jeddah-based petroleum distribution station belonging to Saudi Aramco, the country’s state-owned oil company. It caught fire in two stocks. The bomber struck shortly after noon in front of a Jeddah Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. News Reuters.
The Saudi coalition has said it is refraining from carrying out attacks on its own, despite attacks by Houthis. However, they launched a military operation in Yemen at the beginning of Saturday. They claimed that the operation was carried out to ensure global energy security and supply chain.
The Saudi coalition said in a statement yesterday that the fire had been brought under control. However, live footage from Saudi-owned Ekhbaria Television still shows the blaze.
The Saudi energy ministry said in a statement that it had “strongly condemned” the attack. The ministry also reiterated its position that Saudi Arabia would not be held responsible if global energy supplies were disrupted by such attacks. The state news agency SPA quoted an official as saying.
The ministry blamed Iran for the Houthis’ continued supply of ballistic missiles and advanced drones. They stressed that such an attack would damage Saudi oil production capacity and its ability to supply oil to the world market. However, Tehran has denied the allegations.
The Saudi coalition says Saturday’s attack targeted the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa and the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, a “source of threat.”
In late 2014, the Houthis overthrew the democratically elected Hadi government in Sanaa. The Saudi coalition launched a military operation against the Houthis in Yemen in March 2015 in support of the Hadi government. Since then, there have been reciprocal attacks between the two sides.
