Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Threaten to Renew Attacks on Saudi Oil Facilities

(MEMO) — Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree has warned foreigners to not enter the Saudi Aramco facilities that were attacked by Houthi group on Saturday, saying that they may target them again.

Saree said, Monday, that the attacks on Aramco were carried out by aircraft operating with different engines. He called on Saudi Arabia to reconsider its policies and stop its aggression and siege on Yemen.

Oil prices in global markets have risen by more than 10%, bringing the price of Brent to $67 per barrel.

The rise came following attacks on Saudi Aramco’s eastern oil facilities, affecting more than 5 per cent of global oil supplies. Prices at the opening of the markets increased to about 20%, the most significant rise in 28 years.

On Saturday, the Houthis military spokesperson declared, on Al-Masirah TV channel, the Houthi group’s responsibility for the drone attacks on two Saudi Aramco refineries.

“The air force has been carrying out a massive operation with ten drones targeting the Abqaiq and Khurais refineries in eastern Saudi Arabia,” the spokesperson said.

“We promise the Saudi regime that our future operations will be wider and more painful,” the Houthi group said in the statement.

The attack sparked fires in two oil facilities belonging to the giant Saudi Aramco Company, in the third similar attack in five months on the company’s facilities.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry denied on Monday US  accusations of Tehran of being responsible for the attack on the two Saudi Aramco oil facilities, saying they were “baseless” and constitute evidence of “failure.”

“Iran has declared that it is defending the Yemeni people and their rights. Therefore, these accusations against Tehran are part of big lies and constitute an expression of failure,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi said in statements reported by the official Iranian news agency IRNA.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of carrying out drone airstrikes on two major Aramco oil facilities.

“Tehran is behind nearly 100 attacks on Saudi Arabia while President Hassan Rouhani and foreign minister Javad Zarif pretend to engage in diplomacy,” stated Pompeo on Twitter.

Riyadh announced on Saturday containing two fires that occurred in two Aramco facilities, in the regions of Abqaiq and Khurais, in eastern Saudi Arabia, as a result of a drones attack.

Meanwhile, the Houthi group claimed responsibility for the attack and said it targeted two oil refineries.

By Middle East Monitor | MiddleEastMonitor.com | Creative Commons

The views in this article may not reflect editorial policy of The Mind Unleashed.