Houthis attack Safer oil facility in Marib with drones

The pro-government forces announced yesterday (Aug 23) that they had thwarted an attack by the Houthi militia using three drones targeting the Safer oil facility in Marib Governorate, northeast of Sanaa.

In a statement on its Facebook page, the Ministry of Defense stated: "At exactly 3:26 am, the terrorist Houthi group supported by the Iranian regime launched a cowardly terrorist attack using three drones equipped with highly explosive materials, with the aim of destroying the civilian Safer oil facility."

"Our forces were able to shoot down the drones before they could achieve their criminal goals. Information received from the relevant authorities indicates that the hostile drones were launched from an area located between Daheeda and Qarn Al-Saiari, east of the city of Al-Hazm in Al-Jawf Governorate, which is under the control of the Houthis," the statement added.

The Ministry of Defense also confirmed "the readiness of the armed forces to respond to such attacks that target the interests of the Yemeni people and their sovereign economic facilities."

Meanwhile, the Houthi government’s Minister of Information Hashem Sharafuddin on Saturday denied the allegations regarding an attempt to target the Safer oil facility in Marib Governorate.

Sharafuddin said that “these allegations are a desperate attempt to tarnish the reputation of the National Government in Sana’a and are part of the media campaign waged by the aggression against Yemen”, Althawranews reported.

The latest Houthi attack is among the most serious aggressions launched by the group since the April 2022 UN-sponsored humanitarian truce in Yemen. The country entered a de-escalation phase, which continues to this day despite the truce officially ending in October of that year.

In October and November 2022, the Houthis had launched four drone attacks on the Al-Dabbah oil port in Hadramout and the Al-Nashima oil port in Shabwa in South Yemen, which led to the suspension of oil exports abroad by the legitimate government, which continues to this day.

During 2021, the battles between the Houthis and forces loyal to the Yemeni government reached their peak in Marib Governorate, and the Houthis captured several districts. However, the city of Marib and the Al-Wadi district, including the oil and gas fields, remain under the control of pro-government forces led by Sultan Al-Arada, the Governor of Marib and a member of the Presidential Leadership Council.