Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they fired a Quds-2 cruise missile at an Aramco oil facility in Saudi Arabia. The attack is the latest in a series of missile and drone attacks by the rebel group.
Saudi media hasn’t confirmed the claims. The Houthis have been battling a Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen since 2015.
Brigadier General Yehia Sarie, a Houthi military spokesman, tweeted that the group fired a missile at Aramco’s North Jeddah Bulk Plant and posted a satellite image of the site. The Aramco oil facility is one of Saudi’s largest. The Houthi rebels claimed that they hit the same facility in November. It was later confirmed by the Saudi-led coalition. Saudi Aramco’s oil production and export facilities are mostly in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, more than 1,000 km from Jeddah. The oil plant is located southeast of Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport. Flights coming into the airport that is frequented by Muslims heading to Mecca were diverted from there on early Thursday morning without explanation.
Houthis have often targeted international airports, military installations and Saudi’s precious oil reserves. US President Joe Biden, on February 6 announced that his administration is moving to revoke the terrorist designation of Yemen's Houthis. He said the step is needed to mitigate one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters.
The Houthis have said that the attack which used a winged drone took place at dawn.
