Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Wednesday claimed responsibility for strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities, King Khalid International Airport and an oil refinery near Riyadh, as their attacks on civilian infrastructure mount.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a statement that the attacks caused several fires across Saudi Arabia’s eastern provinces.
The Saudi Energy Ministry said Tuesday evening that a small fire broke out in an administration building at Aramco’s headquarters in Dhahran, in the eastern province, after a missile struck the office tower. Aramco is Saudi Arabia’s state-owned petroleum and natural gas company.
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Some reports indicated that Aramco employees were told to work from home on Wednesday.
Saudi coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said forces intercepted a Houthi missile that was launched toward Riyadh, and authorities have not confirmed any successful strikes on Saudi airports on Wednesday.
Mr. Saree said the attacks were part of “deterrence operations” against Saudi Arabia following Saudi-led attacks on the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, which has been a major stronghold for the Houthis. He asserted that Saudi coalition forces have carried out more than 2,000 airstrikes during the latest escalation.
The Houthis warned on Tuesday that all three targets would be hit if Sanaa was bombed.
Mr. Saree added the Houthis would continue to escalate their attacks against civilian infrastructure until Saudi Arabia ends its involvement in the Yemeni civil war.
The overnight attacks are the latest escalation in Saudi Arabia’s war against the Houthis in Yemen. The Houthis this week launched strikes against airports in Riyadh, killing more than a dozen people and injuring hundreds.
The most recent escalation in fighting began in the summer, when the Houthis declared a blockade against Saudi ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with Iran, which established a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
Since then, Saudi coalition forces and the internationally recognized government of Yemen have stepped up operations against the Houthis.
Despite an increased bombing campaign, the Houthis in recent weeks have taken large swaths of territory off Yemen’s western coast. The territory, including important coastal ports, has provided more strike options for the rebels in the Red Sea and in Saudi Arabia.
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