Houthi attacks disrupt Saudi energy facilities

RIYADH, Sept 8: Yemen’s Houthi group has carried out attacks in southern Saudi Arabia, with Riyadh saying that dozens of people have been wounded, as fighting between the Iran-aligned group and pro-Saudi forces in Yemen sharply escalates.

The Houthis on Tuesday said they targeted Saudi energy sites belonging to oil giant Aramco in southern areas, with the group’s military spokesperson calling it “a broad operation”.

 Strikes on Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels wounded 73 people, a Riyadh-led coalition said Tuesday, vowing to respond to the attacks.

Days of fighting near the Red Sea coast have left more than 300 people dead and displaced hundreds of families as the Houthis try to capture land bordering the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Houthi media Ansarollah said Tuesday the rebels hit targets in Saudi Arabia, including Abha International Airport, King Khalid air base and facilities belonging to state-owned oil giant Aramco in Abha and Jizan.

"The Terrorist Houthi Militia's senseless attacks, the latest of which targeted civilian and economic sites", resulted in "injuries to (73) civilians," the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition said in a statement.

"The Command will also take all necessary measures and actions to respond to the sources of the threat and neutralise its danger."

The strikes came after the Houthis accused Riyadh on Monday of carrying out strikes around Yemen, including the deadly bombardment of a prison.

The attack on the jail in Al-Hazm in the country's north killed 11 people and left 20 inmates missing under the rubble, rebel TV channel Almasirah quoted Hassan Saboula, director-general of civil defence in Jawf province, as saying.

Saba news agency, which is also affiliated with the Houthis, reported earlier that a child visiting the facility was among the dead.

The Houthis launched a broad offensive along frontlines on the western Red Sea coast in a bid to advance towards the Bab al-Mandab Strait, experts say.�"AFP