Houthi rebels targeted several targets in Saudi Arabia on Saturday (March 19), including a facility of oil giant Aramco in Jizan, in the south of the country. The rebels also hit a desalination plant in Al-Shaqeeq and a power plant in Dhahran Al-Janoub, according to a statement from the Riyadh-led coalition in Yemen, quoted by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The coalition said four drones were intercepted and destroyed in the south near Yemen. This region is regularly the target of Houthi drone and missile attacks. The announcement comes after an oil refinery in the Saudi capital Riyadh was attacked on March 10 by a drone, an operation claimed by the Houthis.
Earlier this week, the Houthis rejected an invitation from the Gulf Cooperation Council made up of six regional countries to participate in talks on the Yemen conflict, which will be held in Riyadh from March 29.
Febrile oil markets
Saudi Arabia leads a military coalition in Yemen in support of the internationally recognized government, which has been engaged in a bloody conflict against the Iran-backed Houthis since mid-2014. The war has left hundreds of thousands dead while millions have been forced to flee their homes in what the United Nations has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Houthi rebels often target airports and oil installations in Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s largest oil exporters, amid the kingdom’s leadership of the military coalition against them.
This latest attack comes as Aramco prepares to announce its results for 2021 on Sunday. Global oil markets are very nervous about the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on energy supplies.
