Houthis Announce Massive Missile Attack On Saudi Territory, Including East-West Pipeline

Yeman’s Ansar Allah movement (Houthis) have announced a major new Saturday operation against Saudi territory, claiming to have struck over a half-dozen targets deep inside the kingdom, including against energy infrastructure and airports.

Within an hour of the announcement, Saudi air alerts were issued, with mid-evening (local time) Al Jazeera recording the following: “Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense warns of falling shrapnel from Houthi ballistic missiles fired towards the Mecca and Medina regions.“

Ballistic missiles are being intercepted and/or making it through to their targets. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced the attacks in a video statement.

“In response to the treacherous Saudi aggression against our country, which launched 100 airstrikes over the past 24 hours targeting civilian infrastructure in the capital Sana’a and the free governorates, leaving dozens of martyrs and wounded, bringing the total number of its aggressive airstrikes and missile attacks on our country since the escalation began to 3,123 airstrikes and missiles,” he said.

Crucially, this includes another claimed strike on vital East-West crude pipeline pumping stations.

The targets listed by Saree include the following:

• King Khalid Airport in Riyadh
• Aramco facilities in Yanbu
• Rabigh oil refinery 
• East-West crude pipeline pumping stations
• King Fahd Airport in Dammam
• Najran Airport
• Khamis Mushait Air Base

Some of these have already been hit multiple times over the past several weeks, and commercial flights over broad swathes of Saudi territory have long been on hold as a result.

Reuters has also picked up on the announcement, noting that the Houthis see this as retaliation for earlier major Saudi bombings in Yemen:

Earlier on Saturday, Houthi-linked Saba News Agency reported that Yemen’s National Commission for Human Rights had condemned Saudi Arabia over strikes in the capital.

The group described a “massacre” in the Asr neighborhood of Sanaa and an attack on a cement factory in the Hamdan district of Sanaa Governorate.

Energy markets will have a close eye on whether confirmation of a hit on the East-West pipeline emerges, amid the ongoing escalation in the Strait of Hormuz

The last days have seen the US State Dept. initiate evacuations of more American diplomats and their families from the embassy in Riyadh and consulates in the region.