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The Saudi Ministry of Energy announced that several energy sector facilities and installations in the southern region came under attack on Tuesday morning resulting in fires at multiple sites and a temporary suspension of some operational activities. An official source within the ministry stated that competent authorities immediately initiated response procedures and were implementing all required measures to manage the aftermath. Specialized field teams have started containing the blazes securing the affected locations and conducting damage assessments according to the statement released through the Saudi Press Agency. The source added that a number of citizens and residents sustained injuries of varying degrees and were receiving appropriate medical attention as evaluation and monitoring efforts continued.
A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen separately placed the total number of people wounded in the strikes at 73 including women and children after assaults hit civilian and economic facilities in the cities of Abha Khamis Mushait Jazan and Najran. Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki described the incidents as a dangerous escalation and a clear breach of Saudi sovereignty in comments reported by the Associated Press. The coalition official indicated that all necessary operational steps would be taken to address the attacks and confront their sources according to accounts carried by Reuters and Al Jazeera.
The southern region houses key energy assets including a refinery in Jazan with a capacity of 400000 barrels per day which ranks among the kingdom’s largest according to an assessment published by AP News. The Energy Ministry statement did not identify the party responsible for the strikes but noted that follow-up work was ongoing to restore full functionality in line with established contingency plans. Coalition accounts linked the assaults to Yemen’s Houthi militia which has conducted similar operations against Saudi targets in the past.
Saudi Arabia has been involved in the Yemen conflict since 2015 supporting the internationally recognized government against the Iran-backed Houthis a dynamic documented in multiple reports from the International Crisis Group. Earlier Houthi actions have included drone and missile strikes on Saudi airports and oil infrastructure with one 2019 assault on processing facilities temporarily cutting the kingdom’s oil output by half according to historical data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The latest events coincide with a reported counteroffensive by Saudi-backed Yemeni forces aimed at reclaiming territory from the militia as detailed in dispatches from The New York Times.
Operations at the targeted energy sites were halted only temporarily while firefighting teams worked to extinguish the blazes the Ministry of Energy source emphasized. The ministry underscored that measures were in place to maintain overall supply continuity and safeguard personnel across the affected installations. Assessments of the full impact were still underway with updates expected as field teams completed their surveys according to the official statement.
The incidents prompted a strong condemnation from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs which described the strikes on civilian areas as criminal acts that endanger regional stability. Saudi officials have repeatedly called for international action against groups conducting cross-border attacks from Yemen a position reiterated in statements to Bloomberg and CNN Arabic. No immediate comment was available from Houthi representatives on the specific energy facility strikes though the group’s media outlets had previewed a large-scale operation earlier in the day.
