Houthis Target Saudi Oil Facilities Amid Escalating Yemen Conflict

The conflict in Yemen has escalated after a wave of strikes by the Houthi rebels on Saudi oil facilities, leaving dozens wounded and prompting retaliatory airstrikes from Riyadh.

The Houthis targeted oil infrastructure, including facilities belonging to state oil giant Aramco, and accused Saudi Arabia of an attack on a prison that killed 11 people. The rapid round of strikes and counter-strikes follows the unravelling of a four-year truce between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government in July.

The fighting has left more than 500 people dead, mostly combatants from both sides, according to an AFP tally based on sources from each camp. The Houthi attacks have also squeezed Saudi exports, already reeling from Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Saudi Arabia's top diplomat Prince Faisal bin Farhan said the door to diplomacy was still open, but that the kingdom was ready to defend itself. 'The Kingdom will always support peace and diplomatic solutions,' he said.