Houthis continue to reject peace efforts, attack Saudi Arabia: Defense Ministry

Houthis continue to reject peace efforts, attack Saudi Arabia: Defense Ministry
March 26, 2021, 10:44 am

File photo of Saudi Arabia's flag in Riyadh. (Supplied)

The Iran-backed Houthi militia’s attack on a petroleum distribution terminal in Saudi Arabia’s Jazan confirm the group’s rejection of all peace efforts put forth by the Kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) cited the Ministry of Defense as saying on Friday.

The Houthi’s attack on the distribution station on Thursday night was “cowardly,” and did not only target Saudi Arabia and its economic facilities, but also targeted the global economy, the security of oil exports, and the stability of oil supplies, the ministry’s spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Maliki said.

The attack also threatened the freedom of navigation and international trade, he added.

A fire erupted at 09:08 pm local time at a petroleum products distribution terminal after it was hit by a projectile, the Kingdom’s Ministry of Energy announced on Thursday.

No casualties were reported.

Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia proposed a new peace initiative to end the ongoing conflict in Yemen between the internationally-recognized government and the Iran-backed Houthis.

The new initiative includes a nationwide ceasefire that will be implemented under the supervision of the United Nations, the Kingdom’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan said during a press conference in Riyadh on Monday.

“It is up to the Houthis now, and we are ready to go today. We hope that we can have a ceasefire immediately. The Houthis must decide whether to put their interests first or Iran’s interests first,” Prince Faisal had said.

The Saudi Royal Air Defense Forces and the Saudi Royal Air Force were able to intercept and destroy eight booby-trapped drones that were launched by the Houthi militia to deliberately target civilians, al-Maliki said, according to SPA.

The Iran-backed group also launched three ballistic missiles towards the Kingdom, one of which fell after it was launched from Yemen’s Sanaa in the al-Jawf governorate, according to al-Maliki.

The two other ballistic missiles landed in two uninhabited border areas, he added.