Yemen rebels claim attacks on Aramco facilities in Saudi Arabia

SANAA, Yemen

Houthi rebels in Yemen on Sunday claimed drone and missile attacks on facilities run by oil company Aramco in Saudi Arabia.

Rebel spokesman Yahia Sarei tweeted that the attacks targeted Aramco facilities in the capital Riyadh and a number of Saudi regions.

He said the rebel group also struck a number of “vital targets” in southern Saudi Arabia, including the city of Khamis Mushait.

Early Sunday, the Saudi-led coalition said air defenses had intercepted a ballistic missile and nine drones fired by Houthi rebels towards Saudi Arabia.

A coalition statement said the rebel drones targeted a water desalination plant in Al-Shaqeeq, a facility run by Aramco in Jazan, a power station in the southern Dhahran al Janub city, a gas station in Khamis Mushait, and an Aramco plant in Yanbu.

The coalition also said it had intercepted and destroyed three drones that targeted economic facilities.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The conflict has created one of the world's worst man-made humanitarian crises, with nearly 80% of the country, or about 30 million people, in need of humanitarian assistance and protection and more than 13 million are in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar