Updates with changes throughout
Yemen's Houthi rebels launched ballistic missile and drone strikes at energy facilities operated by Saudi state-controlled Aramco on 20 March, sparking a fire at a Jeddah plant and leading to a temporary drop in rates at the 400,000 b/d Yasref refinery, according to Saudi state media.
The first incursions targeted the petroleum products terminal of Jizan and the Yanbu natural gas plant. The hostilities did not result in casualties.
"The assault on Yasref facilities has led to a temporary reduction in the refinery's production, which will be compensated for from the inventory," Saudi state news agency SPA said, quoting a spokesman of the Saudi energy ministry. Further details on current Yasref rates were not immediately available.
The Houthis also targeted the city of Jizan, as well as an electricity transmission station in Dhahran al-Janub, less than 20km north of the Saudi-Yemen border, and a facility operated by the country's largest LPG distributor, state-owned Gasco, in the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait.
Jizan is home to a new Aramco-operated 400,000 b/d refinery complex that is being commissioned.
Saudi Arabia's air force and air defence systems intercepted and downed a ballistic missile that was targeting Jizan, as well as nine "booby-trapped drones" that were launched towards the other cities, said the coalition's spokesman, Brigadier General Turki al-Maliki. The strikes resulted in "material damage to civilian vehicles and residential homes," but there was no loss of life, the coalition said.
Later in the day, further attacks at an Aramco petroleum products distribution plant in Jeddah sparked a minor fire in one of the local tanks, which has been contained, SPA said, citing the Saudi-led military coalition that fights the Houthi contingent.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attacks, with military spokesman Yahya Saree saying the group's armed forces "targeted Aramco in Jeddah and vital targets in Jizan with a batch of Quds2 ballistic and winged missiles."
The offensive came just ahead of Aramco's 2021 financial results announcement. The company said it more than double its profits year on year.
Aramco chief executive Amin Nasser did not detail the extent of the damage at any of the targeted facilities, saying only that there had been "no injuries, and no impact" on the company's supply to its customers as a result of the attack.
This latest incident comes after its 126,000 b/d Riyadh refinery was targeted by drones early on 11 March, resulting in a small fire.
The Houthi group claimed responsibility for that attack in the hours that followed and said it had also targeted other Aramco facilities in Jizan and Abha. Saree today described the events of 11 March as "the first phase" of the operation that took place on 20 March.
Saudi Arabia has faced frequent attacks by the Houthis in neighbouring Yemen in recent years. Riyadh has supported Yemen's internationally-recognised government in the country's civil war but says it prioritises efforts to reach a ceasefire.
The Houthi group last week rejected an invitation from the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) to attend talks on the conflict scheduled for 29 March — something al-Maliki highlighted in his statement.
"These barbaric attacks represent a dangerous escalation and express the position of the terrorist Houthi militia towards the invitation submitted by … (the GCC) to host consultations between all Yemeni parties and confirms its approach that it rejects all international efforts and initiatives," he said.
GCC Secretary General Nayef Falah Mubarak al-Hajraf has since condemned the Houthi drone and missile offensives against Saudi Arabia, calling on the international community to "take immediate and decisive measures to stop these aggressive actions targeting vital installations" and the security of Saudi Arabia.
A spate of attacks by the Houthi group last month prompted US president Joe Biden to call Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and vow to defend Saudi Arabia against future attacks from the rebels.
The White House has condemned the Houthi armed action of the past 48 hours, labelling the incursions as "terrorist acts" and expressing support for an end to hostilities alongside support for Riyadh.
"It is time to bring this war to a close, but that can only happen if the Houthis agree to cooperate with the UN and its envoy working on a step-by-step a process to de-escalate the conflict," the White House said. "The US stands fully behind those efforts, and we will continue to fully support our partners in the defence of their territory from Houthi attacks. We call on the international community to do the same."
