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For Third Time, Houthis Fire Rockets towards Makkah

Saudi border guards keep watch along the border with Yemen in southern Jizan province. (AFP)
Saudi border guards keep watch along the border with Yemen in southern Jizan province. (AFP)
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For Third Time, Houthis Fire Rockets towards Makkah

Saudi border guards keep watch along the border with Yemen in southern Jizan province. (AFP)
Saudi border guards keep watch along the border with Yemen in southern Jizan province. (AFP)

The Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen attempted for the third time to attack the holy city of Makkah with ballistic missiles.

Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed two rockets fired towards Makkah. The first was intercepted over Taif city and the second was intercepted over Jeddah.

The Houthis first attempted to attack Makkah in October 2016 and a second time in July 2017.

Spokesman for the Saudi-led Arab to restore legitimacy in Yemen, Colonel Turki al-Maliki, confirmed the attack, saying the rockets were intercepted by the Kingdom.

Yemeni Information Minister Muamer al-Iryani condemned the development, saying it revealed the Iranian regime’s “plot to claim as many civilian lives as possible and provoke Muslims throughout the world”.

The attack revealed that the Houthis are completely controlled by Iran in order to implement its agenda in escalating regional tensions, while totally disregarding the dire economic and humanitarian conditions in Yemen, he added.

Yemen’s deputy Awqaf Minister Ahmed Atieh echoed Iryani’s remarks, condemning the Houthis for attempting to target Makkah during the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

He accused to Asharq Al-Awsat the Houthis of violating all that is holy to Muslims, adding that the militias and their Iranian agenda can only be deterred by firm and immediate military action.

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Gulf

Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Meets UN Special Envoy

Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al-Jaber met with United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg. (SPA)
Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al-Jaber met with United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg. (SPA)
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Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Meets UN Special Envoy

Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al-Jaber met with United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg. (SPA)
Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al-Jaber met with United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg. (SPA)

Saudi Ambassador to Yemen and General Supervisor of the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY), Mohammed Al-Jaber, met on Thursday with United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday.

During the meeting, they discussed the latest developments in the region and in Yemen, as well as joint efforts to address the issue of detainees, abductees, and prisoners.

They also highlighted the positive progress achieved in this humanitarian file.

Gulf

Saudi Arabia: Operational Activities Halted at Several Energy Facilities Due to Recent Attacks

The continuation of such attacks leads to reduced supply and slows recovery, the official source at the Ministry of Energy said. (Saudi Aramco)
The continuation of such attacks leads to reduced supply and slows recovery, the official source at the Ministry of Energy said. (Saudi Aramco)
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Saudi Arabia: Operational Activities Halted at Several Energy Facilities Due to Recent Attacks

The continuation of such attacks leads to reduced supply and slows recovery, the official source at the Ministry of Energy said. (Saudi Aramco)
The continuation of such attacks leads to reduced supply and slows recovery, the official source at the Ministry of Energy said. (Saudi Aramco)

An official source at the Ministry of Energy stated that important energy facilities in the Kingdom have recently been subjected to multiple attacks, including oil and gas production, transportation, and refining facilities, as well as petrochemical facilities and the electricity sector in Riyadh, the Eastern Province, and Yanbu Industrial City.

The attacks resulted in the death of one Saudi national from the industrial security personnel of the Saudi energy company, and the injury of seven other Saudis from the company’s personnel, in addition to the disruption of a number of operational activities at key facilities within the energy sector.

The attacks included one of the pumping stations on the East-West Pipeline, leading to a loss of approximately 700,000 barrels per day in throughput. The pipeline is considered the main route for supplying global markets at this stage.

The Manifa production facility was also targeted, resulting in a reduction of approximately 300,000 barrels per day from its production capacity.

Additionally, the Khurais facility had previously been targeted, leading to a reduction of 300,000 barrels per day from its production capacity, bringing the total reduction in the Kingdom’s production capacity to approximately 600,000 barrels per day.

The attacks also extended to major refining facilities, including SATORP in Jubail, Ras Tanura refinery, SAMREF refinery in Yanbu, and Riyadh refinery, directly affecting exports of refined products to global markets.

Processing facilities in Ju’aymah were also affected by fires, impacting exports of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and natural gas liquids.

The continuation of such attacks leads to reduced supply and slows recovery, affecting the security of supply for consuming countries and contributing to increased volatility in oil markets, the source said.

This has already negatively impacted the global economy, particularly with the depletion of a significant portion of operational and emergency inventories, which has affected the availability of supplies and limited the ability to respond to this supply shortfall, the source added.

Gulf

Saudi Foreign Minister Discusses Regional Developments with US, Spanish Counterparts

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah attends a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, August 17, 2023. (Reuters)
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah attends a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, August 17, 2023. (Reuters)
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Saudi Foreign Minister Discusses Regional Developments with US, Spanish Counterparts

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah attends a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, August 17, 2023. (Reuters)
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah attends a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, August 17, 2023. (Reuters)

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Abdullah held separate phone talks on Thursday with his US and Spanish counterparts, focusing on the latest developments in the region, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.

During his call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the two officials discussed the latest regional developments in light of the US-Iran ceasefire agreement, as well as recent developments in Lebanon and ongoing efforts to address them.

With his Spanish counterpart, José Manuel Albares, the Saudi minister reviewed regional developments and their impact on security and stability, along with ongoing efforts to address them.