Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels fire missile at Saudi oil centre

Strike ignites fire at oil distribution centre north of Jeddah but there were no casualties and fuel supplies were unaffected

Saudi-led coalition spokesman, Colonel Turki Al Malki, displays the debris of a ballistic missile launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels towards the capital Riyadh during a news conference in Riyadh on MarShow more

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels struck a Saudi oil facility early on Monday in Jeddah, in what was called a "cowardly attack" to undermine global energy security.

A Saudi Ministry of Energy spokesman said that at 3.50am on Monday there was an explosion after a missile strike set a fuel tank on fire at an oil products distribution terminal, north of Jeddah.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze and there were no casualties. Saudi Aramco's fuel supplies were unaffected.

The Houthis claimed they struck the depot with a cruise missile. Riyadh condemned the attack, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

"Such acts of terrorism and sabotage committed against vital installations – including the recent incident, in Jizan [in October], near the floating offloading platform of the petroleum products distribution terminal, and the previous terrorist attack on oil installations, in Abqaiq and Khurais [in 2019] – are aimed at the security and stability of energy supplies to the world, as well as the global economy," the ministry spokesman said.

Brig Gen Turki Al Malki, spokesman of the Saudi-led Coalition supporting the internationally recognised government in Yemen, said the attack was a continuation of "terrorist actions" against global energy supplies.

These attacks have provided evidence of "the direct involvement of the Iranian regime ... using Iranian-made advanced conventional weapons", Brig Al Malki said.

"Targeting civilians and ... economic installations, in a deliberate, systematic manner" is a war crime, he said.

International condemnation

The attack has also drawn widespread regional and international condemnation. On Tuesday, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation released a statement describing the attack as a "terrorist act of sabotage."

The ministry added that it considered the attack "new evidence of the Houthi terrorist militia’s attempts to undermine security and stability in the region."

"The security of the United Arab Emirates and the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are indivisible. Any threat or danger facing the Kingdom is considered by the Emirates as a threat to its security and stability," the statement added.

Dominic Raab, the UK Foreign Secretary, also tweeted on Tuesday that the attack violated international law by targeting "civilian infrastructure."