Washington [US], March 26 The United States condemns the Houthi attacks on civilian infrastructure and facilities in several Saudi Arabian cities, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement on Friday (Local Time).
"We condemn the Houthi attacks launched against Saudi Arabia's civil infrastructure earlier today. Unprovoked Houthi attacks against Saudi Aramco's oil storage facilities in Jeddah as well as attacks against civil facilities in Jizan, Najran, and Dhahran are acts of terrorism aimed to prolong the suffering of the Yemeni people," the statement read.
The United States stands fully behind efforts to de-escalate the conflict through the UN and will continue to support partners in defence of their territory from Houthi attacks, he added.
US NSA said that the attacks were clearly enabled by Iran in violation of UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions prohibiting the import of weapons into Yemen.
Notably, a fire broke out at the Jeddah oil depot on Friday ahead of Saudi Arabia Grand Prix race.
Yemen's Houthi militia on Friday claimed responsibility for fresh cross-border drone and missile attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, the third such attack in less than a week, reported Xinhua.
"A number of bomb-laden drones targeted the oil refineries in Ras Tanura and Rabigh, as well as the Aramco oil facilities in Jazan and Najran ... A barrage of wing missiles targeted Aramco oil facilities in Jeddah and the Saudi capital Riyadh," Houthi military spokesman Yehya Sarea said in a statement aired by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.
"We also launched several ballistic missiles at other vital Saudi targets in Jazan, Dhahran Al-Janub, Abha, Khamis Mushait," the Houthi spokesman said, vowing to launch more attacks to break the blockade imposed by the Saudi-led coalition forces on the Yemeni ports under the Houthi militia control.
Meanwhile, a statement from the Saudi-led coalition forces said that "a total of 16 hostile attacks by the Houthi militia hit energy facilities in Saudi Arabia and we exercise restraint in order to make the Yemeni consultations a success," the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV reported.
The meeting is slated to be held in Riyadh next week, convening Yemen's political parties to discuss a comprehensive political solution to end the country's seven years of civil war, which the Houthi militia has refused to join.
Earlier this week, the Houthi militia launched two other attacks against the same energy facilities in Saudi Arabia, using barrages of drones and missiles, as per the news agency.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa. The Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened on March 26, 2015, to support the Yemeni government.
( With inputs from ANI )
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