Houthi drones hit two Aramco plants, Saudis say fires contained

• Yemen group says attacks Aramco plants in Abqaiq and Khurais.
• Fires controlled but no official comment on possible impact.
• Comes as Aramco speeds up plans for IPO, amid regional tensions.
• Saudi-led coalition strikes Houthi stronghold in Yemen.

RIYADH: Houthi group on Saturday attacked two Saudi Aramco plants, including the world's biggest oil processing facility, sparking fires in the latest flare up of violence in the Gulf.

Saudi Arabia said it had brought the blazes under control, without specifying whether oil production or exports were affected. State television said exports were continuing.

The drone strikes on the world's biggest oil exporter come as state oil giant Saudi Aramco has accelerated plans for an initial public offering to as early as this year, and follow earlier cross-border attacks on Saudi oil installations and on oil tankers in Gulf waters.

The extent of damage from the drone strikes in Abqaiq and Khurais provinces remains unclear. Aramco has yet to issue a statement on the pre-dawn attacks. Authorities have not reported on casualties.

Many Western employees of Aramco live in Abqaiq. The US Embassy in Riyadh said it was unaware of any injuries to Americans from the attacks.

FIRE AND SMOKE

The Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes on Yemen's northern Saada province, a Houthi stronghold, on Saturday, a Reuters witness said. Houthi-run al Masirah TV said the warplanes targeted a military camp north of Saada city.

Hours after the Houthi strike in Abqaiq, a Reuters witness nearby said fire and smoke were still visible. Earlier video footage verified by Reuters showed bright flames and thick plumes of smoke rising towards the dark pre-dawn sky. An emergency vehicle is seen rushing towards the site.

The Saudi interior ministry spokesman said Aramco industrial security teams fighting the fires since 0400 (0100 GMT) had managed to control them and stop their spread. He did not identify the source of the drones but said an investigation was underway.

The Houthis' military spokesman, without providing evidence, said the attacks hit refineries at both sites, which are over 1,000 km from the Yemeni capital Sanaa, and pledged a widening of assaults on Saudi Arabia.

The chief of Iran's elite Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, in a rare reaction to such attacks on Saudi Arabia, praised the Houthis for their resistance in a Twitter post that included the hashtag Aramco.

The coalition has responded with air strikes on Houthi targets in Sanaa and other areas held by the group, which controls most large urban centres in Yemen.

The violence is complicating UN-led efforts to ease tensions between the Houthis and Riyadh to pave the way for political talks to end the war, which has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed millions to the brink of famine.