Middle East

Houthi group claims responsibility over Aramco attack

Yemeni rebel group calls on foreign companies to keep away from targeted fuel facilities

Ali Abo Rezeg  | 16.09.2019 - Update : 16.09.2019
Houthi group claims responsibility over Aramco attack

RIYADH 

The Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed on Monday responsibility over the drone attack on the two Aramco fuel facilities in eastern Saudi Arabia.

In a televised statement on the Houthi-run TV channel, Yahya Sarei, the military spokesman for the group, warned the foreign companies and workers against coming close to the targeted Aramco facilities which might "be targeted again".

On Saturday, armed drones struck two facilities of Saudi Arabia's oil company Aramco.

The spokesperson said that "the attack on the fuel facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais areas was conducted by using different types of drones run by new jet engines as well as normal types ".

"The only option for the Saudi government is to stop attacking us," Sarei added.

Since 2015, the Saudi-led coalition has been fighting the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Thousands of Yemenis were killed and pushed the country to the brink of famine.

Houthis, whose mid and long-range ballistic missiles are usually intercepted by the Saudi air defense systems, used to target, in recent months, certain strategic parts of Saudi Arabia with armed drones.

The U.S. administration accused Iran of directing the attacks while Saudi Arabia awaits the results of the investigation.

Several countries around the world condemned the attack including the U.S., the U.K. and Turkey.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara

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