Houthi fighters claim 14 drone attacks on Saudi Arabia

Middle East, News November 22, 2021 , by IRIA No Comments

Yemen’s Houthi fighters claimed on November 20, that in response to “Saudi-led coalition escalation in Yemen” they have fired 14 bomb-laden drones at several sites in Saudi Arabia, which included Saudi Aramco facilities in Jeddah.

The Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a televised press conference that the Houthi fighters attacked Saudi Arabia’s Aramco’s refineries as well as other military targets in Riyadh, Jeddah, Najran, Abha, and Jizan.

“We targeted the King Khalid Air Base in Riyadh city with four drones, hitting military targets at the King Abdullah International Airport and Aramco oil refineries in Jeddah city with four drones, striking a military target in Abha International Airport in Abha city with a drone, targeting other military sites in the cities of Jazan, Najran and Abha with five drones,” Sarea said in a televised statement.

The Saudi state TV said that Saudi Arabia’s air defense systems destroyed a drone that was launched from Yemen targeting Najran airport in the southern part of Saudi Arabia and the debris from the destroyed drone was scattered in a residential area, however, no injuries were reported.

The Saudi-led coalition said that the drone was launched by the Houthi fighters from Sanaa airport in Yemen. Earlier on November 19, the Saudi-led coalition also hit four drones launched towards Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi state news agency reported that, in response to the drone attacks, the Saudi-led coalition hit 13 targets in Yemen during a military operation against the group.

During the operation, the coalition forces attacked weapons depots, air defense systems, and drone communication systems in Sanaa, Saada, and Marib provinces of Yemen, the coalition statement said.

The violence continues in the war-torn country since 2014 when Yemen’s Houthi fighters attacked much of the country and seized control of many strategic locations. Since then, Iran has been supporting the Houthi rebels, while the United States and Saudi-led coalition backs the government of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi in Yemen. The Saudi-led military coalition’s involvement in the Yemen crisis led Houthi rebels to launch cross-border attacks.

In February 2021, the Houthi rebels started a major offensive against the Yemeni government army in a bid to capture the oil-rich province of Marib. In recent months, the rebel group has also intensified cross-border missile and drone attacks, mainly targeting Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Earlier in November, the United Nations Security Council sanctioned three Houthi rebels and called the international community to immediately freeze their assets and impose a travel ban on them.

In a separate event, the U.S. Department of State released a statement condemning “the Houthis’ detention and mistreatment of dozens of Yemeni citizens and their family members,” who have worked for the U.S. embassy in Sanaa, Yemen.

“These actions are an affront to the entire international community. The Houthis must immediately release unharmed all Yemeni employees of the United States, vacate the Embassy compound, return seized property, and cease their threats. The United States is actively engaged in this matter and is consulting closely with our international partners, including fellow members of the United Nations Security Council,” the Department of State statement read.