(Reuters) – The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen on Saturday commenced a military operation to stop attacks on its oil facilities and “protect global energy sources,” Saudi state media reported.
The coalition added that the operation is in its early stages and that Yemen’s Houthis should bear the consequences of their “hostile behaviour”.
It added that the goal for the operation is to “protect global energy sources and ensure supply chains.”
The coalition had said it will “directly deal with sources of threat” and asked civilians to avoid being near any oil site or facility in Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, Saudi state media had reported.
The coalition’s warning came after it said it had intercepted and destroyed two drones over Yemeni skies that had been launched towards the kingdom from oil facilities in Hodeidah.
The coalition said it would spare civilian sites and avoid collateral damage at oil facilities.
Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV said the coalition’s warplanes launched raids on the city of Hodeidah and that flights are still going on, while residents told Reuters that raids were near the port of Hodeidah.
Al Masirah TV also said that coalition attacked the electricity corporation and oil facilities in Hodeidah.
On Friday, the Saudi-led coalition said oil giant Aramco’s petroleum products distribution station in Jeddah was hit by Houthi attacks, causing a fire in two storage tanks but no casualties.
(Reporting by Nayera Abdallah and Omar Fahmy; Additional reporting by Mohammed Ghobari, Editing by Sandra Maler and Sam Holmes)
