Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid Al-Falih said on Wednesday that the Houthi attack on a Saudi oil tanker west of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah will not disrupt oil supplies or affect economic activity.
Al-Faleh described the terrorist attack on Twitter as a desperate attempt to influence the security of international navigation, saying it had failed. He also expressed his confidence in the vigilance of the Saudi-led Arab Coalition to support the internationally recognised government of Yemen and its ability to counter Houthi militant attacks.
Spokesperson for the coalition Colonel Turki Al-Maliki said on Tuesday that around 1:30pm Saudi time, one of the Saudi oil tankers was attacked by Houthi militias in international waters, west of the port of Hodeidah, which is controlled by the armed militias backed by Iran.
He said the attempted attack was foiled after a quick intervention by one of the alliance’s naval vessels.
“The tanker suffered a minor injury but completed its navigational line and sailed north accompanied by one of the naval coalition ships,” Al-Maliki.
Colonel Al-Maliki stressed that this militant attack poses a serious threat to the freedom of maritime navigation and international trade in the Bab al-Mandab and Red Sea straits, which could also cause environmental and economic damage.
He pointed out that the continuation of these attempts reveals the danger of this militia and those behind it on regional and international security, and confirms the continued use of the port of Hodeidah as a starting point for terrorist operations as well as the smuggling of rockets and weapons.
Al-Maliki stated that the leadership of the joint forces of the coalition has adopted and implemented measures to maintain security and stability and ensure freedom of navigation and international trade in the Strait of Bab al-Mandab and the Red Sea. This is part of its commitment to its essential role in making Yemen safe and stable, he added.
The spokesperson also reiterated the call for the importance of placing the port of Hodeidah under international supervision and preventing its use as a military base to launch attacks against shipping lines.
Energy minister: Houthi attack on Saudi tanker will not disrupt supplies
Energy minister: Houthi attack on Saudi tanker will not disrupt supplies
- Khalid Al-Falih described the attack as a desperate attempt to influence the security of international navigation
- He pointed out that the continuation of these attempts reveals the danger of this militia and those behind it on regional and international security
Saudi, Pakistan defense chiefs discuss ‘measures needed to halt’ Iranian attacks on Kingdom
RIYADH: Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces Asim Munir discussed Iran’s attacks on the Kingdom, amid the escalating military conflict in the Middle East.
“We discussed Iranian attacks on the Kingdom and the measures needed to halt them within the framework of our Joint Strategic Defense Agreement,” Prince Khalid wrote on social media early on Saturday.
“We stressed that such actions undermine regional security and stability and expressed hope that the Iranian side will exercise wisdom and avoid miscalculation.”
The US and Israel began a large-scale military campaign against Iran on Feb. 28. Iran has since attacked a number of sites across the Gulf.
Tehran has also attacked US and Israeli military assets as the war as escalated, impacting lives in the peaceful Arabian Gulf peninsula and risked shaking the global economy as Iran continued restricting energy shipping along the Strait of Hormuz.
The Saudi Defense Ministry said a number of drones had been shot down that were targeting the Shayba oil field in the Empty Quarter on Saturday.
A drone attacked the US embassy in Riyadh on Tuesday causing a minor fire, but no one was hurt in the incident.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a “Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement” in September, pledging that aggression against one country would be treated as an attack on both.
Separately, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif, the Saudi interior minister, received a call from his Pakistani counterpart Raza Naqvi, who condemned the blatant attacks targeting the Kingdom and affirmed his country’s solidarity in confronting any threats to the Kingdom’s security and stability, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.
