RIYADH (BLOOMBERG) - A Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen launched airstrikes against sites in the southern Arabian country in response to multiple attacks on Friday (March 25), including one that caused a fire at an Aramco fuel depot in Jeddah.
Coalition forces targeted sites early on Saturday including Ras Eissa port and electricity and fuel installations in Yemen's Hodiedah province, as well as military sites in the capital, Sanaa, according to Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV.
The coalition said it targeted drones that were being prepared at the ports of Hodiedah and Saleef, according to state-run news agency Saudi Press Agency. The operation is ongoing, SPA said.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is scheduled to meet regional leaders this weekend, condemned attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi.
Washington has been criticised by the Saudis and the United Arab Emirates for responding too slowly to Houthi aggression and pursuing nuclear negotiations with Iran.
Mr Blinken is scheduled to meet the UAE's de facto ruler, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, in Morocco. Other bombings that targeted Saudi Arabia last weekend and the UAE in January and February indicate an escalation in regional violence at a time when energy prices are surging and regional alliances are being tested following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The US' Gulf allies have so far resisted calls to pump more oil and have not supported Western sanctions against Russia, in part due to a reluctance to see a new Iran nuclear deal reached.
Jeddah is not in Saudi Arabia's main oil-producing region, although Aramco suffered attacks at the heart of its energy industry previously.
Strikes in September 2019 briefly knocked out about half of Saudi oil production when missiles hit processing units at the Abqaiq and Khurais facilities in the country's east.
Saudi Arabia is hosting a Formula 1 race in Jeddah this weekend, a major part of the kingdom's tourism push.
Hitting Jeddah ahead of the sporting event could tarnish the image the country is looking to develop as a business and leisure destination, and highlights the risks of a continuation of the Yemen war.
The race will go ahead despite the attacks, Formula 1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali told participating teams, according to the Telegraph.
In Friday's attack, an oil storage facility in Jeddah was hit by a barrage of drones.
It was a marked escalation of tensions in one of the world's most important regions for oil shipments.
Fuel tanks at state oil producer Saudi Aramco's North Jeddah Bulk Plant caught fire, Saudi defence ministry spokesman Turki al-Maliki was by cited by SPA as saying.
Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed a series of attacks on Aramco facilities on Friday, sending oil prices higher. The storage site targeted in Jeddah is focused on domestic needs, limiting the impact on the global crude market.
Still, the attacks spooked oil traders, with crude already above US$100 a barrel and the market tight. Saudi Arabia warned this week that oil supplies are at risk, and called on the US to do more to counter attacks from the Houthis - a message it reiterated on Friday.
"This aggressive escalation targets oil facilities and is meant to try to affect energy security and the global economy," Mr al-Maliki told SPA after the attack.
Meanwhile, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday issued a statement to strongly condemn the attacks on several locations across Saudi Arabia.
"Such attacks are unacceptable and cannot be justified," the MFA said in its statement.
"Thus far, there are no reports of Singaporeans affected by the attacks. Singaporeans in Saudi Arabia should remain vigilant and monitor local news closely. They should take necessary precautions for their personal safety. We continue to urge all Singaporeans in or travelling to Saudi Arabia to e-register with MFA."
