SANAA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi militia on Sunday claimed responsibility for its overnight attacks targeting vital energy facilities, including Aramco oil facilities, in several cities in Saudi Arabia.
"A barrage of ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones targeted Aramco oil facilities in the Saudi capital Riyadh and other Saudi cities," the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV quoted a statement from the Houthi military spokesman Yehya Sarea as saying.
"Another barrage of missiles and drones targeted vital energy plants in the Saudi cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, Yanbu, Samtah and Dhahran Al-Janub," he added.
The Houthi spokesman vowed that his group would launch more attacks if the blockade on Sanaa airport and Hodeidah port city was not lifted.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV reported a statement by the coalition as saying that the Houthi attacks targeted a distribution oil facility of the Aramco company in Jazan, a power station in Dhahran Al-Janub, a liquified natural gas plant in Khamis Mushait and the water desalination plant in Yanbu.
"The attacks caused material damage to the facilities and neighboring residential buildings and there were no casualties," the coalition said, adding that "this escalation represents the Houthis' rejection to the peace efforts."
On Wednesday, the Houthi group announced its readiness for peace talks.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of the northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa. The Saudi-led coalition intervened in the following year to support the Yemeni government. ■
