Yemen's Houthi rebels claim drone attacks on Saudi Aramco oil plants

Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saturday claimed responsibility for drone attacks on two Aramco oil plants in the east of Saudi Arabia, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.

"Ten bomb-laden drones hit the two sites in Abqaiq and Khurais areas," the television said, citing a statement from the group's military spokesman Yahya Sarea as saying.

This Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019, satellite image provided by NASA Worldview shows fires following Yemen's Houthi rebels claiming a drone attack on two major oil installations in eastern Saudi Arabia. [Photo: NASA Worldview via AP]

"We promise to widen our attacks as long as the Saudi regime's aggression and economic blockade against our country continue," Sarea was quoted as saying.

Yemen's Iran-linked Houthi rebels said they launched early Saturday a 10-drone attack on major oil facilities in Saudi Arabia.

Smoke billows from an Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq about 60km (37 miles) southwest of Dhahran in Saudi Arabia's eastern province on September 14, 2019. [Photo: AFP]

Meanwhile, the Saudi Interior Ministry said that the Houthi attack caused fires at two facilities operated by Saudi state oil giant Aramco in Abqaiq in the Eastern Province.

This is the second such major attack against Aramco in nearly a month.

On Aug. 17, Saudi Arabia said that a Houthi drone attack on its Aramco plant in Shaybah Oil Field caused minor fire.

In May, a Houthi drone attack damaged two oil pump stations of Saudi Aramco, according to the Saudi authorities.

The Houthis have recently stepped up drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, but most of the drones were intercepted by the kingdom's air defense systems.

Saudi Arabia has been leading an Arab military coalition against Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen for more than four years in support of the exiled internationally-recognized government of Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.