Yemen’s Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, launched more attacks on Thursday, targeting oil infrastructure inside Saudi Arabia and Saudi-backed forces in Yemen, according to Yemeni media reports.
An Ansar Allah military source told the SABA news agency that two drones targeted an Aramco refinery in Jizan, southern Saudi Arabia, and claimed it was a “precise” strike. Ansar Allah has launched multiple successful strikes on Saudi oil sites in recent weeks, but so far, whether Thursday’s attack caused damage hasn’t been confirmed.
Also on Thursday, Aljoumhouriya TV reported that an Ansar Allah drone hit a military camp in eastern Yemen’s Hadramout province. The report said the camp belonged to the Nation’s Shield Forces, a Saudi-funded Yemeni military force led by Salafi commander Bashir al-Madrabi, and that two fighters were killed and 15 were wounded.
Over the past week, Ansar Allah has launched multiple attacks targeting Saudi-backed forces in eastern Yemen and in Mocha, a Red Sea port near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that is under the control of the Saudi- and Western-backed government, which is based in Aden, though its leaders are based in Riyadh.
The attacks have inflicted dozens of casualties, and Ansar Allah’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree, has said the attacks were launched as the Saudi forces are preparing for an escalation against the “liberated” Yemeni provinces, referring to the areas of Yemen under Ansar Allah control, which is where most Yemenis live.
There have been reports that Saudi Arabia is preparing for a major escalation in Yemen that could involve a ground offensive, and Riyadh has formed a new Red Sea coalition meant to confront Ansar Allah. The Saudis reignited the war last month by bombing the Sanaa international airport to prevent a flight from Iran from landing. In response, Ansar Allah announced a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, a policy it calls a “blockade for a blockade,” and has launched multiple attacks on Saudi shipping.
