India has condemned the reported Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, particularly the targeting of civilian and economic facilities. Responding to a media query, the Ministry of External Affairs said such
attacks on Saudi sovereign territory were “unacceptable”.
The MEA said the attacks undermine regional security and stability and pose a threat to freedom of navigation in the Bab-el-Mandeb, a key maritime route. India also stressed that such actions cannot be accepted given their wider implications for regional peace and maritime security.
Saudi Arabia said attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeting energy facilities in the kingdom’s southern region on Tuesday triggered fires and led to the temporary shutdown of some operations. A source in the Energy Ministry said several energy sector facilities and installations were targeted in the southern region.
The attacks caused fires at several locations, temporarily halting some operations, the source said. Several people were also injured. Saudi Arabia has also accused the Houthis of attacking civilian and economic sites in the kingdom, with at least 73 civilians, including women and children, reported to have been wounded.
The accusations came as fighting intensified in Yemen, where the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government has launched a counteroffensive to retake territory from the Iran-backed Houthis.
Saudi-led coalition spokesman Major-General Turki al-Maliki said Houthi attacks had targeted civilian and economic sites in the provinces of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jizan and Najran. He did not specify when the attacks took place.
Al-Maliki described the attacks as a “dangerous escalation” and a “blatant violation” of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty. He warned that the attacks posed a direct threat to the kingdom’s citizens and residents.
He said the coalition would take “all necessary operational measures” to confront the attacks and act against the sources of the threat.
