Yemen's Houthis claimed responsibility for a missile strike on Thursday against a plant owned by Saudi energy giant Aramco in Jeddah, a city in western Saudi Arabia, amid escalating attacks targeting the Wahhabi kingdom.
There was no immediate confirmation from the oil giant or Saudi authorities of an attack on an Aramco site.
A spokesman for the Shiite rebels, Yahya Saree, claimed on Twitter that the rebels hit an Aramco facility in Jeddah with a Quds-2-type missile at dawn on Thursday, in retaliation for military interventions by Saudi Arabia in Yemen at war for six years.
Iran-backed rebels have struck facilities in Aramco in the past, underscoring the vulnerability of Saudi Arabia's costly oil infrastructure.
Last November, the Houthis had already struck an Aramco factory in Jeddah with a Quds-2-type missile, pitting a hole in an oil tank and setting off an explosion and fire.
The rebels' latest demand comes after the United States on Tuesday imposed financial sanctions on two Houthi rebel leaders accused of "orchestrating attacks" against civilians.
The rebels have stepped up attacks on the kingdom in recent weeks, as they step up their offensive to seize Marib, the last loyalist stronghold in the north.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for missile and drone fire and threatened further attacks against Saudi Arabia.
The six-year civil war in Yemen pits Iranian-backed rebels against an internationally recognized government backed by a Saudi-led military coalition.
This conflict has left tens of thousands dead and millions displaced, triggering the world's worst humanitarian crisis, according to the UN.
With AFP
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