Houthi missile and drone strikes hit Saudi oil facilities, injuring dozens
More than 70 people were wounded after Houthi attacks set fire to oil and utility sites in southern Saudi Arabia, prompting the coalition to vow retaliation.
Saudi officials said a wave of Houthi missile and drone attacks on Tuesday targeted civilian and economic facilities in the southern cities of Abha, Jazan, Najran and Khamis Mushait, igniting fires at several oil refineries and utilities. The Energy Ministry reported that operations at the affected sites were temporarily halted while firefighters worked to contain the blazes.
Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, confirmed that 73 people, including women and children, were injured in the strikes. He described the attacks as a serious escalation and a violation of Saudi sovereignty, and said the coalition would take “all necessary operational measures” to deter the Houthi militia.
The Houthi movement claimed responsibility, stating the strikes were a response to recent Saudi operations in Yemen. In a prerecorded video, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the rebels’ military spokesman, said the group launched dozens of ballistic missiles and drones at oil and economic facilities as well as an air base in the south, targeting Jazan’s primary and downstream industries and Aramco sites in Najran and Abha.
The latest violence follows weeks of intensified fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces in Yemen, which has disrupted a four-year truce and displaced roughly 18,500 people in the Taiz and Hodeida provinces. The conflict also raises concerns about the security of shipping lanes such as the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a key route for global oil trade.