Drone attack on Saudi oil refinery, small fire broke out
Highlight
- Drone attack on an oil refinery in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh
- The Ministry of Power said it caused a small fire that did not cause any injuries or affected supplies.
- The statement did not say where the drone strike was launched.
The Ministry of Energy said on Friday (March 11) that an oil refinery in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh was attacked by a drone, sparking a small fire that did not cause any injuries or affected supplies.
The statement did not say from where the drone strike was launched. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
The state’s oil facilities have been a target of Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the past. The Iranian-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for a shock 2019 attack on the Abqaiq oil processing facility in the eastern province, which temporarily knocked half of the kingdom’s daily output.
The ministry’s statement, published by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, was issued shortly after midnight on Friday and said the attack took place at around 4:40 a.m. Thursday.
The ministry said such attacks not only target Saudi Arabia, but also the security and stability of energy supplies to the world.
Saudi Arabia has been involved in Yemen’s civil war since 2015, fighting against the Houthis who captured the capital of Sanaa and ousted the government there. Despite seven years of fighting and war, the Houthis control much of Sanaa and northern Yemen.
The war in Yemen has killed thousands, both fighters and civilians, and sparked the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Many more have been internally displaced.
The UN food agency has warned that some 13 million Yemenis face starvation due to a long-running civil strife and lack of funds for humanitarian aid.
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