Houthi rebels launch a drone. [AFP]
Houthi rebels launch a drone. [AFP]

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels struck a refinery operated by Saudi state oil giant Aramco on the Red Sea coast, the Houthi-affiliated Saba news agency reported Thursday local time.

A Houthi source said Yemeni forces — the rebels' preferred term for themselves — carried out "a precision strike" on an Aramco refinery in the Jizan region using two drones.

The rebels said the attack was retaliation for Saudi violations of Yemeni airspace and sovereignty. "This attack is a response to Saudi Arabia's infringement of Yemen's airspace and sovereignty in Saada and Hajjah," the source said, adding that "Yemeni forces will respond decisively to all acts of aggression."

The Houthis declared an end to a fragile truce in mid-July after blaming Saudi Arabia for an airstrike on Sanaa airport, the capital they control.

On July 20, citing what they called a Saudi blockade of Yemen, the rebels announced a maritime blockade targeting Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea and have since been attacking Saudi-linked vessels in the waterway.

On Tuesday, they struck a Tanzania-flagged vessel passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the mouth of the Red Sea, claiming the ship was carrying weapons for Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi government has denied imposing a blockade on Yemen, but the Houthis have held firm in their demand that any negotiations include the lifting of what they describe as a Saudi siege.


mokiya@heraldcorp.com