News / Yemen

Saudi Aramco attack beginning of larger operation: Yemen

Sunday, 19 May 2019 8:52 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 19 May 2019 9:01 PM ]

This file photo taken on March 22, 2006 shows a general view of oil tanks at a plant in Haradh, about 280 kilometres (170 miles) southwest of the eastern Saudi oil city of Dhahran. (Photo by AFP)

Yemen's Ansarullah movement has warned that its recent attack on a major Saudi oil facility was the start of operations against 300 vital targets in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Yemen.

The Ansarullah said on Sunday its May 14 drone attack on pumping stations of the Saudi state oil company Aramco was the start of operations against 300 vital targets.

The group said other planned targets include military headquarters and facilities in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Back on Tuesday, Yemeni soldiers, backed by allied fighters from Popular Committees, launched the major operation against the strategic oil facility in Saudi Arabia in retaliation for the Riyadh regime’s devastating military aggression and siege of the impoverished country.

Following the attack, Saudi Arabia stopped pumping crude oil on the major pipeline across the country.

Saudi stops pumping oil as Yemen raids hit major pipeline

Saudi Arabia halts pumping crude oil on a major pipeline in the wake of Yemen's retaliatory drone strikes.

The retaliatory attack also led to the rise of oil prices and fall of stock markets in Persian Gulf Arab countries.

Brent crude futures were at $70.79 a barrel at 1035 GMT, up 56 cents or 0.80%.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $61.35 per barrel, up 31 cents or 0.51%.

Furthermore, Saudi Arabia’s main stock index, the Tadawul, was down 1.5% at midday London time.

The development came only two days after Saudi Arabia said two of its oil tankers were among those attacked in an unspecified “sabotage operation” off the coast of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.

An Emirati official told Reuters that the UAE was working with local and international partners from the United States, France, Norway, and Saudi Arabia to “fully investigate the incident and to identify the people or entities responsible.”

PressTV-UAE confirms vessels targeted by 'sabotage' near port

After initially denying the reports of a huge fire that engulfed several large vessels, the UAE has confirmed that some "commercial ships" were targeted in a "sabotage" attack.

The ships -- including two Saudi oil tankers, an Emirati ship and the Norwegian tanker Andrea Victory -- were docked in the sea off the coast of Fujairah. Fujairah port is the only terminal in the UAE located on the Arabian Sea coast. The small emirate has an oil terminal and a pipeline that delivers crude oil from Abu Dhabi which sits on the majority of UAE oil reserves.

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