Houthis hit targets in Saudi Arabia as Yemen War drags on

On Monday, Yemen-based Houthi rebel group attacked a Saudi oil facility north of the port city of Jeddah. Saudi Arabia confirmed that a distribution station belonging to its Aramco oil company has been hit by a missile attack. This is the third major successful attack after the strikes at Khurais and Abqaiq facilities in Eastern Saudi Arabia in 2019. 

Abdullah al-Ghamdi, manager of the North Jeddah plant, told journalists on a tour that one of the 13 tanks used for diesel oil, gasoline and jet fuel at the facility is currently out of action. All other operations at the plant resumed after a few hours. 

In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition fighting against Yemen Turki Al-Malki said the early Monday missile attack did not just “target the Kingdom’s National Assets, but the core of global economy and its supply routes, as well as the security of global energy."

The Houthis have been developing their own missiles and testing them in attacks over various targets using locally UAVs. The Houthi spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said that the attack came in response to the ongoing Saudi military aggression and siege stressing Yemen’s right to self-defence. 

Yesterday, Saudi Arabia intercepted a bomb-laden boat in the Red sea. However, another attack successfully targeted a Greek tanker that had just dropped its load in Saudi Arabia. The tanker suffered from minor damages and no casualties are reported. There is no immediate reaction from the Houthis. 

Saudi Arabia has been involved in what looks like a never ending war with the Houthis since 2015. According to Strafor, the Saudis are hinting at their willingness to exit the war without sacrificing what was gained from the war. Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia suggested that it would adhere to a ceasefire if the Houthis agree to a buffer zone alongside its border with Yemen. Several regional observers suggest that few options remain for Saudi Arabia in its fight against the Houthis. 

 

Source: commonspace.eu with agencies 
Photo: Part of the damaged facility in Jeddah's Aramco site 

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

Borrell underlined that the European Union will make every effort to support the peace process and to remain a committed partner to the Afghan people. "Of course, we will have to take into account the evolving situation, but disengagement is not an option.  We are clear on that: there is no alternative to a negotiated political settlement, through inclusive peace talks.
Editor's choice
News
Thirty Armenian members of the five Armenian-Azerbaijani Thematic Groups meet in Yerevan

Thirty Armenian members of the five Armenian-Azerbaijani Thematic Groups meet in Yerevan

Yesterday (23 September) around thirty Armenians involved in the five Armenian-Azerbaijani Thematic Groups gathered in Yerevan to be briefed by Leonid Narsisian, co-Chair of the thematic group on Peace and Security; Narek Minasyan, Chair of the thematic group on regional connectivity; Sargis Harutyunyan, Chair of the thematic group on Governance; Aghavni Harutyunyan, Deputy Chair of the thematic group on Environment; and Andranik Shirinyan, Deputy Chair of the thematic group on gender and diversity. The Thematic Groups are a LINKS Europe initiative aimed at promoting a new style of Armenia-Azerbaijan dialogue, fit for the new reality. They will present their five reports in mid-November. We were delighted to welcome to the meeting in Yerevan, Murad Muradov, Azerbaijani co-Chair of the thematic group on peace and security who also spoke. Others to address the meeting included Erik Jessen, Political Officer at the EU Delegation in Armenia, Stepan Grigoryan, Senior Member of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Expert Strategic Platform (under the auspices of LINKS Europe), and Dennis Sammut, Director and George Simonishvili, South Caucasus coordinator, of LINKS Europe. It was a very good and engaging meeting, also attended by representatives of various embassies, including HE Marieke Monroy-Winter, the Ambassador of The Netherlands. A similar meeting with Azerbaijani members will take place in Baku on Friday (26 September). The Armenian and Azerbaijani members have been meeting on line since April. On 27 October they will meet together in Tbilisi to finalise their work.

Popular

Editor's choice
News
Thirty Armenian members of the five Armenian-Azerbaijani Thematic Groups meet in Yerevan

Thirty Armenian members of the five Armenian-Azerbaijani Thematic Groups meet in Yerevan

Yesterday (23 September) around thirty Armenians involved in the five Armenian-Azerbaijani Thematic Groups gathered in Yerevan to be briefed by Leonid Narsisian, co-Chair of the thematic group on Peace and Security; Narek Minasyan, Chair of the thematic group on regional connectivity; Sargis Harutyunyan, Chair of the thematic group on Governance; Aghavni Harutyunyan, Deputy Chair of the thematic group on Environment; and Andranik Shirinyan, Deputy Chair of the thematic group on gender and diversity. The Thematic Groups are a LINKS Europe initiative aimed at promoting a new style of Armenia-Azerbaijan dialogue, fit for the new reality. They will present their five reports in mid-November. We were delighted to welcome to the meeting in Yerevan, Murad Muradov, Azerbaijani co-Chair of the thematic group on peace and security who also spoke. Others to address the meeting included Erik Jessen, Political Officer at the EU Delegation in Armenia, Stepan Grigoryan, Senior Member of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Expert Strategic Platform (under the auspices of LINKS Europe), and Dennis Sammut, Director and George Simonishvili, South Caucasus coordinator, of LINKS Europe. It was a very good and engaging meeting, also attended by representatives of various embassies, including HE Marieke Monroy-Winter, the Ambassador of The Netherlands. A similar meeting with Azerbaijani members will take place in Baku on Friday (26 September). The Armenian and Azerbaijani members have been meeting on line since April. On 27 October they will meet together in Tbilisi to finalise their work.