Saudi Arabia: Houthis strike Aramco oil depot in Jeddah ahead of Formula 1 Grand Prix

In a significant development, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have struck Saudi Arabia yet again, this time ahead of the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah. According to reports, a Houthi missile strike hit the same Aramco oil storage facility in Jeddah following which the oil depot was set ablaze, the Associated Press reported. The attack has been acknowledged by the Iran-backed rebels who claim to have struck the oil facility with drones and ballistic missiles. They have also claimed that they attacked other vital installations in Riyadh as well. 

"We did several attacks with drones and ballistic missiles in Saudi Arabia, including an Aramco installation in Jeddah vital installations in Riyadh," the Houthis claimed 

This comes as a second attack in a single week as the Houthi rebels had earlier struck other sites in Saudi Arabia in the early hours of Sunday. The rebels launched several drones and missile attacks on the kingdom, targeting critical infrastructure which included natural gas and desalination facilities, Saudi state-run media reported. The Saudi-led military coalition operating in Yemen at the time informed that the assaults did not result in any civilian fatalities. However, they did hit installations belonging to one of the world's most essential energy firms and destroyed civilian cars and residences. 

The Associated Press has stated that the attacks came as Saudi Arabia still leads a coalition battling the Iran-backed Houthis who had seized Yemen's capital of Sanaa in September 2014. The kingdom, which entered the war in Yemen in 2015, has been internationally criticized for its airstrikes killing that have killed scores of civilians, something the Houthis point to as they launch drones, missiles and mortars into the kingdom, AP added. Meanwhile, peace negotiations have stagnated and war enters the eighth year. Elsewhere in the southern Red Sea, the coalition also claimed to have demolished a remotely piloted boat loaded with explosives that were dispatched by the Houthis.   

With AP inputs