Yemen's Houthi rebels attacked four cities and energy installations in southern Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, September 8. The strikes injured at least 73 people, among them women and children, and set fires that temporarily halted operations at energy facilities in the kingdom, according to Saudi authorities. A Houthi military spokesperson said the group would announce a broad military operation on Saudi territory, signaling a new escalation of the conflict in the Gulf.
Using drones and missiles, the Houthis hit an air base in Khamis Mushait and targets linked to the state oil company Saudi Aramco in the cities of Abha, Najran, on the border with Yemen, and Jazan, a Red Sea port that is home to a large refinery and a power plant, according to the Brazilian business daily Valor Econômico. Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry confirmed that facilities in the south were struck and had operations suspended, with firefighting and emergency crews mobilized to contain the blazes. "The competent authorities are dealing with the repercussions of the attacks," the ministry said, adding that it would take steps to protect workers and keep operations running. On Monday, the Financial Times had already reported that Aramco facilities in Jazan had been hit; that report was not independently confirmed and the company did not comment.
Coalition promises response
Colonel Turki al-Malki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led military coalition, called the offensive a "dangerous escalation" and promised retaliation. "The coalition will take all necessary operational measures to stop this terrorist militia," he said. Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree accused Riyadh of intensifying the war with airstrikes on Yemen and said the group would respond. The attacks came hours after the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of bombing a prison in the province of Jawf, in northern Yemen, in a strike the rebels say killed seven people, including a child, a claim that could not be independently verified. Media controlled by the group also reported four Saudi airstrikes in the district of Jubah, east of the capital, Sanaa. According to Valor Econômico, the offensive ranks among the largest against Saudi Arabia since the United States and Israel began their war with Iran in February.
Oil closes in on US$ 100
Brent, the main international oil benchmark, rose more than 2% on Tuesday to above US$ 99 a barrel, its highest level since July, according to Valor Econômico. The attacks on southwest Saudi Arabia could deepen the war's global economic impact by disrupting Middle East energy supplies beyond the Strait of Hormuz, which is blocked. Before the conflict, roughly one fifth of the oil and liquefied natural gas traded worldwide moved through the strait. The United States has been trying to push more oil to world markets by escorting vessels along the route.
In Yemen, the International Organization for Migration said more than 18,500 people had fled their homes in the past three days because of fighting along the country's west coast. The civil war began in 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and widened in 2015 with the intervention of the Saudi-led Arab coalition. A four-year truce has effectively collapsed in recent weeks, and the group announced a naval blockade against the kingdom in July. The United Nations says the conflict has killed at least 150,000 people and created one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, with millions dependent on international aid.