ISLAMABAD: Pakistan “strongly condemned” the latest Houthi attacks on Saudi energy facilities which hit oil giant Aramco’s petroleum products distribution station in Jeddah, causing a fire in two storage tanks but no casualties.
The attack on Friday targeted the same fuel depot that the Houthis had attacked in recent days, the North Jiddah Bulk Plant that sits just southeast of the city’s international airport and is a crucial hub for pilgrims heading to Mecca.
“Pakistan reaffirms its full support and solidarity with the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia against any threat to its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” a Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement issued to the press.
The statement called for an immediate cessation of these attacks which it observed violated international law and threatened the peace and security of Saudi Arabia and the region.
Friday’s attack was part of a wave of assaults ahead of the seventh anniversary of a Saudi-led coalition’s military intervention against the Houthis in Yemen, a country in the grips of a major humanitarian crisis.
The kingdom, which entered the war in 2015, has been internationally criticised for its airstrikes that have killed scores of civilians — something the Iran-aligned Houthis point to as they launch drones, missiles and mortars into the kingdom.
The coalition has repeatedly said it is exercising self-restraint in the face of the attacks, but launched a military operation in Yemen early on Saturday saying it aimed to protect global energy sources and ensure supply chains.
