DUBAI, Sept 8 (Reuters) - At least 73 people were injured in attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said on Tuesday, vowing to respond firmly to the latest outbreak of hostilities.
The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen and much of the north, have been launching attacks towards Saudi Arabia since they declared a naval blockade against Riyadh in July, with strikes targeting its vessels in the Red Sea.
The latest escalation was “dangerous”, as the Houthis attacked civilian and economic entities in the world’s largest oil exporter and de-facto OPEC leader, the spokesperson of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said on Tuesday.
“The coalition will take all necessary operational measures to deter this terrorist militia and resolutely confronts its hostile approach,” Colonel Turki al-Malki said in a statement on X.
The Houthis launched attacks on targets in the cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran, it added.
On Monday the Financial Times newspaper said Aramco’s Jazan oil facilities were hit in new strikes, and the damage was being assessed. Reuters was not immediately able to verify the report and Aramco has not commented.
(Reporting by Nayera Abdallah; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Clarence Fernandez)
