By Conelly
Iran-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen claimed responsibility for 10 drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, sparking a huge fire at the world’s largest oil processing facility early Saturday.
Smoke from the flames, which also engulfed an oil field run by the Saudi state-owned oil giant Aramco, could be seen over the skyline as the fire burned at the Abqaiq processing plant, which is crucial to global energy supplies, the Associated Press reported.
The Saudi Interior Ministry said in a statement that an investigation into the attack was underway.
The fires were under control, according to the Saudis, but they didn’t say whether oil production was affected, Reuters reported. It wasn’t clear if there were any injuries.
Houthi military spokesman Yahia Sarie said on the rebel’s Al-Masirah satellite news channel that they launched the drone strikes as a coordinated assault on the two sites. He warned attacks by the rebels would worsen if the war continues.
“The only option for the Saudi government is to stop attacking us,” Sarie said.
The strikes will likely heighten tensions in the volatile Persian Gulf region as the US and Iran face off over their unraveling nuclear deal.
Saudi Aramco did not respond to questions from the AP.
The kingdom hopes soon to offer a sliver of the company in an initial public offering.
