The Yemeni armed forces say they have carried out two successful retaliatory strikes against Saudi Aramco oil facilities after Riyadh launched airstrikes on the country’s strategic province of Hudaydah.
In a statement on Wednesday, the armed forces said Saudi Arabia “launched a series of unjust and criminal airstrikes” overnight on Hudaydah, its port and Kamaran Island.
The airstrikes, it said, “caused material and moral damage,” while Yemeni air defenses engaged enemy aircraft after they entered the country’s airspace, preventing further attacks.
In response to the “blatant and criminal aggression,” it said, the Yemeni armed forces carried out two “qualitative military operations,” targeting sensitive Aramco-affiliated facilities in Jizan with dozens of ballistic missiles and drones, while striking similar facilities in Yanbu with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones.
According to the statement, both operations achieved “accurate and direct hits” and successfully accomplished their objectives.
The armed forces said the Saudi attacks demonstrated Riyadh’s determination to continue its blockade of Yemen and violate the country’s sovereignty, warning that such actions would be met with continued resistance.
The statement reaffirmed that the naval blockade imposed on Saudi Arabia remains in effect, describing it as a response to more than 12 years of Saudi aggression and blockade against Yemen.
“We will not hesitate to expand our operations and escalate our actions based on developments in the coming hours and days, within the equation of ‘a blockade for a blockade and an escalation for an escalation,'” the statement said.
The armed forces also pledged to continue defending the country’s sovereignty and people, saying Saudi Arabia would face “nothing but resistance and confrontation.”
Yemen on Monday declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia effective immediately, warning that any Saudi escalation would be met with a “comprehensive and severe response.”
