Saudi Arabia Qualifies Houthi Attack in Yemen’s Oil Port as Terrorist Act

A Houthi rebel fighter fires in the air during a gathering aimed at mobilizing more fighters for the Houthi movement, in Sanaa, YemenMOSCOW (Sputnik) – Saudi Arabia qualifies a recent drone attack in the Dabba port in eastern Yemen, which was carried out by the Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, as an act of terrorism, the foreign ministry said on Saturday.”The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia condemns the terrorist attack carried out by the Houthi terrorist militia… which is a flagrant violation of Security Council Resolution No. 2216, and in violation of international laws and customs,” the statement said.The foreign ministry accused “Houthi terrorist militia and those behind it” of targeting civilian and economic infrastructure, global energy supplies and corridors, as well as threatening the marine life with pollution.”The Foreign Ministry explains that this attack is an escalation,” the statement said.On Friday, a source told Sputnik that there were two explosions in the port, but the Nissos Kea crude oil tanker was able to leave the coast unharmed despite the drone attack. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, calling it “a warning strike” to “prevent an oil ship that was trying to loot crude oil through the Dabba port.”Opinion & AnalysisUS Arms Ultimatum to Saudi Arabia Unlikely to Be Matched by Action18 October, 11:03 GMTThe Yemeni government condemned the attack, saying that such acts are a threat to the country’s maritime and energy security. Foreign ministries of Egypt and Kuwait, along with the Arab League and other regional organizations shared similar sentiments.Yemen has been engulfed in an armed conflict between the government forces and the Houthi rebels since 2014. The situation was exacerbated in March 2015, when the Saudi-led coalition, working in cooperation with the internationally-recognized Yemeni government, began conducting air, land and sea operations against the Houthis. The latter have retaliated by attacking Saudi forces and firing missiles into Saudi Arabia.In April 2022, a two-month ceasefire was declared in Yemen under the auspices of the United Nations and the support of the parties to the conflict. In early August, the warring sides agreed to extend the truce by two months (until October 2), to negotiate an expanded truce agreement.UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg announced on October 2 that the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels had failed to negotiate the extension of the truce.

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