Sept 24 (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia intercepted on Thursday six ballistic missiles launched by Yemen’s Houthis, backed by Iran, thwarting attacks against Taif Province in the south of the country and the Yanbu region on the Red Sea, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said.
It was not immediately clear whether there were any damages or casualties in Taif or in Yanbu — the kingdom’s main alternate route for oil shipments — after a generalized emergency alert was issued for areas including Jeddah and the holy city of Mecca.
The attack on Yanbu occurred after an improvement in the prospects of resuming oil exports from the terminal there, after sources told Reuters that operations had been restarted on the East-West pipeline, which had been closed on September 11 due to drone attacks Riyadh attributed to Iraqi militias.
The port is crucial for Saudi oil when shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted.
Civil defense authorities also warned of a possible danger in Tabuk province, in the northwest of the country, near the border with Jordan — an unprecedented situation for the region during the latest escalation between the kingdom and the Houthis this month.
The Houthis have been attacking mainly the southern regions of Saudi Arabia.
They intensified attacks on the kingdom after declaring a naval blockade against it in July, a second theater of operations in the war between the United States and Iran. The Houthis also took control of the entire western coast of Yemen in a blitz almost two weeks ago, bringing them to the shores of the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea.
“Any escalation and violations by the Houthi terrorist militia will be dealt with firmly,” the coalition said in a statement shortly after the attacks.
