Yemen's Houthis said they hit Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura refinery with a ballistic missile. Saudi authorities had not confirmed the strike, while the fighting adds to disruption of oil supplies.
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Tuesday they had hit Ras Tanura, the biggest oil refinery in Saudi Arabia, with a ballistic missile. Military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the strike caused a fire at the complex.
Saudi authorities did not immediately confirm the strike. However, Bloomberg News cited a person familiar with the matter as saying Saudi Arabia had contained a fire near the Ras Tanura terminal.
Nearly all Saudi oil exports flow through two ports
The complex also includes a shipping terminal and sits on the Gulf, west of the Strait of Hormuz. Ras Tanura has a capacity of 550,000 barrels per day and shut for a period in the early months of the Iran war as a precaution.
Nearly all Saudi oil exports flow through two main ports, Ras Tanura in the Gulf and Yanbu on the Red Sea. The Houthis have attacked both in the past.
Houthis claim further attacks at Najran and Khamis Mushait
The Houthis also said they attacked two military transport jets at Najran Airport and an airbase in Khamis Mushait. Saudi Arabia did not immediately confirm those attacks either.
Civil defence authorities briefly issued an air raid alert in Riyadh on Tuesday afternoon. The Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles the Houthis launched toward the capital.
Near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, an important Red Sea shipping route, the Houthis said they repelled an advance by Saudi-backed forces. Earlier this month, Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces pushed the Houthis out of coastal areas they had seized in September.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan meet Iranian officials
The fighting has shattered a 2022 UN-brokered truce between the coalition and the Houthis. On Monday, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan met Iranian officials in Tehran to try to reduce regional tensions.
Egypt has said it is considering joining the three countries in a mutual defence pact. Its parliament authorised the military to help defend Saudi Arabia if asked.
Source: Reuters via Investing.com
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