Ryad (AFP)

A drone attack sparked fires on Saturday at two oil facilities of Saudi-based giant Aramco in eastern Saudi Arabia, the third attack in five months against the mastodon's infrastructure preparing for its IPO.

The attack on the Abqaiq and Khurais sites was not immediately claimed, but the previous one, against a gas facility in August, had been carried out by Houthi rebels in nearby Yemen.

In fact, the Houthi TV channel has announced that an "important statement" will be published on an attack in Saudi Arabia, a country whose forces are engaged with the government in Yemen against the rebels.

"At 04:00 local time (0100 GMT), Aramco security teams intervened to put out fires in two facilities," said the interior ministry of the Saudi kingdom, the world's largest exporter of black gold.

"The two fires have been controlled," he added in a statement relayed by the official SPA agency, without specifying the origin of drones, if there were victims or if the attack led to the suspension operations. An investigation has been opened.

Saudi authorities appear to have increased security around the two targeted sites, preventing journalists from approaching to see the extent of the damage.

The Houthis, politically backed by Iran, Saudi Arabia's great regional rival, regularly call for drones or missiles to be fired at Saudi targets. They claim to act in response to the air strikes of the kingdom-led military coalition, which has been operating since 2015 in Yemen at war.

- Serious threat -

The Abqaiq site, located 60 kilometers southwest of Dahran, the oil giant's main headquarters, is home to Aramco's largest oil processing plant, according to its website.

Khurais, 250 kilometers from Dahran, is one of the main oilfields of the state-owned company preparing its IPO, originally scheduled for 2018 but postponed due to the drop in crude prices on the world market.

Cornerstone of the reform program initiated by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to diversify Saudi's ultra-dependent oil economy, this introduction to the markets is to take place "soon" according to the new CEO of Aramco, Amin Nasser.

Attacks by Yemeni rebels, more and more regular, show that they have advanced weapons and pose a serious threat to Saudi Arabia and especially to its oil facilities.

On August 17, the Houthis said it had carried out an attack using ten drones, "the largest ever launched in Saudi Arabia", against the Shaybah (east) field, which caused a "limited" fire according to Aramco on a gas installation, without making any injuries.

On 14 May, the Houthis claimed responsibility for a drone strike in the Ryad region, as opposed to two pumping stations in an east-west pipeline that temporarily shut down operations on the island. pipeline.

- Tensions -

This attack had added to the growing tensions in the Gulf region, following attacks and acts of sabotage against oil tankers in May and June, blamed by the United States and its Saudi ally to Iran for denying any involvement.

The destruction of an American drone, entered Iranian airspace according to Tehran, caused fears of a general conflagration. US President Donald Trump then claimed to have canceled at the last minute strikes retaliation.

The Abqaiq site, which was attacked on Saturday, had already been the target of a car bomb attack claimed by the Al-Qaeda network in 2006. The two attackers, who died in the attack, failed to penetrate the compound of the treatment plant and two guards had been killed.

In 2014, a Saudi court sentenced a man linked to the attack to death and two others were sentenced to 33 and 27 years in prison, according to state-run media.

© 2019 AFP