Yemeni Houthis claim attack on Shaybah oil field; no Saudi confirmation

Houthi forces in Yemen have made a drone attack on oil facilities at Shaybah in Saudi Arabia, the Yemeni movement’s Al Masirah television said on Saturday.

There was no immediate Saudi confirmation or comment.

The facilities attacked included a refinery and oil storage, Al Masirah said, citing a military spokesman. It did not say when the attack took place.

Shaybah, operated by state-oil company Saudi Aramco, is located in the east of the kingdom, close to the United Arab Emirates border.

The Houthis, who control Sanaa and most of Yemen’s other populous areas, have stepped up attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia in recent months.

In response, the Saudi-led coalition has targeted military sites belonging to the group, especially around Sanaa.

The attacks are complicating U.N.-led peace efforts.

The Western-backed Sunni Muslim coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE intervened in Yemen in 2015 to try to restore a Yemeni government ousted from power in Sanaa by the Houthis.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed millions to the brink of famine.

source: Reuters