Some 73 people were injured and fires broke out at several oil facilities and utility sites as a result of a series of Houthi attacks on southern Saudi Arabia, the Saudi authorities said on Tuesday.
Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki Al Maliki said the strikes were in the regions of Abha, Jazan, Najran and Khamis Mushait. Women and children were among the injured, he said.
The attacks were the biggest since weeks of fighting in Yemen between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces, which Saudi authorities called a major escalation.
Al Maliki accused the Houthis of attacking civilian and economic infrastructure. The coalition will do what is necessary to address what Saudi Arabia sees as a rising security threat, he said.
The attacks impacted a number of oil facilities and utilities in the Saudi Arabia’s southern region, the country’s Energy Ministry said. The sites were temporarily shut down and firefighters were on duty to manage the fires.
At first the Houthis did not officially admit responsibility. But, Nasruddin Amer, deputy head of the group’s media office, suggested that Saudi Arabia can expect a response over its military operations in Yemen.
Attacks follow airstrike in Yemen
The Saudi strikes coincided with the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of bombing a prison in the northern Yemeni province of Jawf.
At least seven people, including a child, have been killed and seven others wounded in the Hazem strike, the group said. The report did not independently verify that claim.
The new violence comes after weeks of fighting on multiple fronts in Yemen. Saudi-backed government troops have claimed victories in Hodeida, Taiz and Baydah while the Houthis still attack Saudi-backed targets.
The fighting goes back to 2014 when the Houthis captured the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and much of the north. Since the conflict has resulted in a major humanitarian crisis, with thousands of deaths.
Source: Aaj News
