Yemen rebels claim drone attacks on Saudi cities

SANAA, Yemen

Houthi rebels in Yemen said Saturday it had fired 14 drones on Saudi territories, including Aramco facilities in Jeddah.

In a statement, rebel spokesman Yahya Saree said Houthis carried out drone attacks on military sites and the King Khalid Airbase in Riyadh.

The attacks also targeted King Abdullah International Airport and Aramco refineries in Jeddah as well as the regions of Abha, Jizan, and Najran, the spokesman said.

Saree said the attacks were in response to the escalation of “aggression” by the Saudi-led Arab coalition “and the continuation of its crimes and siege” of Yemen.

There was no comment from the Saudi-led coalition on the rebel claim.

The Houthi group, backed by Iran, regularly announces rocket and drone attacks on Saudi territories, saying they are a reaction to the Saudi-led coalition’s assault on Yemen.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthis overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa. The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the conflict has claimed more than 233,000 lives.

* Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar