‘No safe place’ in Saudi Arabia, all energy facilities legitimate targets: Yemen

Hizam al-Assad, a member of Ansarullah’s political bureau, said oil, industrial and other vital facilities across Saudi Arabia are no longer secure. The warning came following a Saudi attack against a correctional facility in al-Jawf that left more than a dozen casualties, including a visiting child.

“Oil-producing areas, industrial sites and vital facilities across Saudi Arabia are no longer safe,” al-Assad said.

He also warned that the threat could have serious economic consequences for the kingdom, saying the “future of investment in Saudi Arabia is at risk of being destroyed.”

The warning comes after Saudi authorities reported that several sites described as “civilian and economic” had been targeted in the cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran. Authorities claim 73 people have been injured as a result of the attacks.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry said the attacks caused fires at several sites in the southern region and temporarily disrupted some operations.

On Monday, Army spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree said in a statement that the Riyadh regime has launched new rounds of airstrikes and committed further massacres in Yemen in tandem with a tight blockade against its southern neighbor.

He pointed out that the most recent Saudi terrorist acts against Yemen included the deadly strike in the northern province of al-Jawf, reconnaissance flights over multiple districts, and supplying allied militants with various types of munitions.

Saree promised that Yemeni military forces will not let the Saudi aggression go unanswered.

A Yemeni source also said that retaliation for Saudi Arabia’s attacks and crimes would continue.

An Ansarullah member has reported heavy strikes by the Yemeni armed forces against Saudi-backed forces in Al-Jawf.

Mohammed al-Farah, a member of Ansarullah’s political bureau, said Yemeni armed forces had repelled an advance by Saudi-backed forces toward the Al-Banat Mountains in eastern Al-Jawf.

He added that reinforcements and military equipment belonging to the Saudi-backed forces in Al-Jawf had been targeted by several ballistic missiles.

According to al-Farah, the operation destroyed dozens of vehicles and military equipment, as well as causing the deaths and injuries of dozens of Saudi-backed fighters, including several commanders.

In a statement, Yemen’s Supreme Political Council strongly condemned the Saudi government’s bombing in Al-Jawf, holding the Saudi regime fully responsible for its consequences.

“We consider this crime a very dangerous development for which the Saudi enemy bears full responsibility, along with all its consequences,” it said.

The statement added that targeting civilians and prisoners and violating the sovereignty of the Republic of Yemen “will never go unpunished.”

The council stressed that Yemen would not remain idle in the face of an escalation of Saudi aggression, within the framework of its full and legitimate right to defend its people, sovereignty and interests.

The council further warned that the Saudi regime must understand that any escalation of its aggression would have consequences, adding that if Riyadh continued along this path, the situation would enter a new phase for which the Saudi side would bear full responsibility.

Fierce clashes have erupted since Thursday across multiple fronts in Ta’izz and the adjacent coastal province of Hudaydah, resulting in casualties for both the Yemeni army and Saudi-backed mercenaries.

Fighting has rekindled in various provinces of Yemen in the past few weeks, as the country endures one of the most critical humanitarian and economic crises in the world.

On July 20, the Sana’a government declared a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia, in response to Riyadh’s “unjust and oppressive siege” on Yemen for nearly 12 years, “exploiting our resources and imposing a complete blockade.”

The Yemeni armed forces have subsequently announced many successful missions targeting Saudi-linked vessels in the Red Sea.

In March 2015, Saudi Arabia, along with its allies, enforced a blockade on Yemen, launching an all-out onslaught supported militarily, politically, and logistically by the United States and certain Western nations.

Tens of thousands of Yemenis have been killed, but Saudi Arabia has not succeeded in obtaining its main objective of reinstating a puppet regime that aligns with its interests.