'Iran-backed' Yemeni Houthi rebels claim drone attacks on Saudi Arabia's Aramco oil plants

Yemeni Houthi rebels have claimed drone attacks on two Saudi oil plants. The news was confirmed by the group’s Al-Masirah television channel. The rebels launched "a large-scale operation involving 10 drones that targeted refineries in Abqaiq and Khurais in eastern Saudi Arabia", Al-Masirah said.

At 4:00 am (0100 GMT) the industrial security teams of Aramco started dealing with fires at two of its facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais as a result of... drones," the interior ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

The recent attack highlights how the Houthi rebels pose a threat to Saudi Arabia with their modern ballistic missiles to unmanned drones. In recent months, Houthi rebels have targeted Saudi air bases and other facilities which they say is a retaliation of long-running Saudi-led bombing campaign on rebel-held areas in Yemen.

Houthi rebels are allegedly backed by Iran and are fighting against Yemen’s Hadi government, Saudi Arabia, United States, UAE and Israel. Tensions in the Gulf grew since May when Donald Trump called off an airstrike on Iran at the last minute after it allegedly downed a US drone.

Iran and Saudi Arabia are fighting a cold war in the middle east to gain influence in the region. Saudi Arabia is supporting the Yemeni government in the war while Iran is backing the Houthi rebels, which it often denies. The US is an old ally of Saudi Arabia and wants them to have influence in the region in order to serve America’s interests.

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