The bomber struck shortly after noon in front of a mosque in the northern city of Jeddah, killing at least 12 people and wounding dozens more. No injuries were reported from the attack.
In Yemen, Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition fighting the Iranian-backed Houthis who captured the Yemeni capital Sanaa in September 2014. The kingdom, which entered the war in 2015, has been criticized internationally for air strikes. His raids that have killed many civilians – something the Houthis point out as they launch drones, missiles and mortars into the kingdom.
Brigadier General Turki al-Malki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, said the fire damaged two tanks and was extinguished without injuries.
“This hostile escalation is targeting oil installations and undermining the energy security and backbone of the global economy,” al-Malki was quoted as saying by Saudi state news agency.
Brigadier General Turki al-Malki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, appeared in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Tuesday. (Fayez Nureldine / AFP / Getty Images)
“These hostile attacks have had no impact or impact in any way, shape or form on public life in Jeddah.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the Houthi attacks via Twitter.
“These strikes endanger the lives of civilians and must stop,” he wrote.
F1 program “will continue as planned”
An Associated Press photojournalist covering training laps on the F1 circuit in Jeddah saw smoke rising in the east shortly after 5:40 p.m. As the flames rose, the tops of the factory bulk tanks were clearly visible about 11.5 kilometers away. The drivers continued at night even when the fire was burning. Saudi Arabia’s second Grand Prix in Jeddah takes place on Sunday, although some have expressed concern about recent attacks on the kingdom. Hours later, F1 said plans for Saturday’s third training session and qualifiers for Sunday were still scheduled. Saudi Motorsport Co., which is promoting the race, acknowledged the attack, but said “the weekend program of the race will continue as planned”. “We remain in direct contact with the safety authorities of Saudi Arabia, as well as with the F1 and the FIA to ensure all necessary safety and security measures,” the company said, referring to the motorsport governing body. “The safety and security of all our visitors continues to be our top priority.”
Rebels hit “political target”
Al-Masirah, a satellite news channel run by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, later claimed to have attacked Aramco facilities in Jeddah, along with other targets in Riyadh and elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Saudi state television also reported attacks on the city of Dahran targeting water tanks that destroyed vehicles and homes. Another attack targeted a power substation in an area of southwestern Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen, state television reported.
The North Jeddah Bulk Plant stores diesel, gasoline and jet fuel for use in Jeddah, the kingdom’s second largest city. It accounts for more than a quarter of Saudi Arabia’s total supplies and also supplies fuel vital to the operation of a regional desalination plant.
Smoke rises from a fire at Saudi Aramco’s oil storage facility following an attack in Jeddah on Friday. (Reuters)
The Houthis have twice targeted the North Jeddah plant with cruise missiles. One attack took place in November 2020. The last took place on Sunday as part of a wider barrage by the Houthis.
At the time of the 2020 attack, the target tank, which has a capacity of 500,000 barrels, was containing diesel fuel, according to a recent report by a group of UN experts examining the war in Yemen. Its repair after the last attack cost Aramco about 1.5 million US dollars.
UN experts described the installation as a “political target” that the Houthis should have avoided after the 2020 attack.
Firefighters battled a fire at Saudi Aramco’s oil facility on Friday. (AFP / Getty Images)
“While the facility also supplies the Saudi army with petroleum products, it also supplies mostly political customers,” the commission said.
“If the plant were out of operation for a significant period, the impact on the kingdom’s economy as well as on the well-being of the people of the western region would probably be significant.”
Cruise missiles and drones remain difficult to defend, although the United States recently sent a significant number of Patriot anti-missile interceptors to Saudi Arabia to supply the kingdom amid Houthi attacks.
In September, the Associated Press reported that the United States had removed its own Patriot and THAAD defense systems from Prince Sultan Air Base outside Riyadh.
The attacks have renewed questions about the kingdom’s ability to defend itself against Houthi fire as the years-long war in the Arab world’s poorest country rages on. It also comes as Saudi Arabia issued an unusually stern warning that it could not guarantee that its oil production would not be affected by further attacks – something that could push world energy prices even higher amid Russia’s war in Ukraine. .
Brent crude rose slightly above $ 120 a barrel on Friday.
