Houthis hit Saudi Arabian oil sites in worst attack in years

RIYADH

This image released by Houthi forces purportedly shows a ballistic missile strike on trucks carrying military equipment from Saudi Arabia to Yemen. (AFP Photo)

Saudi Arabia on Sept. 8 threatened to hit back after a wave of missiles from Yemen’s Houthis set oil facilities ablaze and wounded dozens, the Iran-backed rebels’ heaviest attack in years.

The overnight attacks caused “temporary” shutdowns at oil sites and left 73 injured, Saudi authorities said, a reminder of the danger posed by the group across the southern Saudi border.

Fighting between the Tehran-supported Houthis and Saudi forces has reignited after a four-year truce collapsed in July, months into the Middle East war between the United States and Iran.

In recent days, hundreds have died in clashes between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces around the Bab al-Mandab strait, the mouth of the vital Red Sea shipping route.

The Houthi attacks on energy facilities are likely to increase upward pressure on oil prices, which have spiked since Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, slowing Gulf shipments to a trickle.