Ansar Allah rebel Yemeni military spokesman Yahya Saria added that “military installations” in Asir and Najran provinces were also attacked
Ansar Allah (Houthis) Yemeni rebel movement’s military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saria has announced new strikes on Saudi territory. Saria’s statements were quoted by Al-Masirah TV channel on Friday.
He said several Saudi oil company Saudi Aramco facilities were hit. Twelve drones and eight missiles are claimed to have carried out the strikes. Another six drones attacked “military installations” in the Saudi provinces of Asir and Najran. Saria also added that the Houthis would continue their operations as long as the blockade and aggression unleashed against Yemen continued.
Earlier on Friday, the Saudi Press Agency, citing a source in the kingdom’s Ministry of Energy, reported that the Jizan oil distribution station was attacked on Thursday night. A fire broke out at one of the fuel storages as a result of the shelling and there were no casualties. In addition, Al Arabiya TV reported that Saudi Arabia’s air defence forces intercepted seven mined drones fired by Houthis into the kingdom on Thursday night.
On Friday, Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry condemned the Houthis’ actions, saying that “the attack on the Jizan oil distribution station and attempted attacks on civilians in the kingdom and civilian facilities demonstrate the Houthis’ rejection of Saudi Arabia’s initiative for a Yemeni settlement, and also confirm Iran’s influence over their political and military decision-making”.
In Yemen, the standoff between government forces and Houthi militias has been ongoing since August 2014. It reached its most active phase when the Saudi-led coalition invaded the country in March 2015. More than five years of conflict have led to the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. According to the UN, more than 24 million Yemenis – about 80 per cent of the population – are in need of humanitarian aid and the number of internally displaced people exceeds 3 million.
The Houthi have carried out systematic attacks, with Saudi Arabia and its infrastructure, including oil, as their primary target.