Tensions in the Middle East are on the rise again, as Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen launched attacks against Saudi Arabia.
According to Greek military sources, one of the attacks targeted a major refinery installation in the Yanbu area. The Greek Patriot missile battery deployed there as part of the Hellenic Force in Saudi Arabia intercepted the attack, which was launched from Yemeni territory.
The Greek battery later also shot down a drone approaching from Yemen.
The battery is part of the “Integrated Air Missile Defense Concept” initiative, aimed at supporting Saudi Arabia’s air defences.
Houthi retaliation
Earlier, Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a missile attack on the southern Saudi city of Jizan.
Riyadh did not immediately comment on reports shared by Houthi-affiliated media channels on Telegram on Saturday claiming that a “missile attack from Yemen” had caused fires in Jizan.
However, Riyadh’s civil protection agency issued brief warnings on Saturday to residents of the city, as well as those in Yanbu.
The warnings came after strikes by the Saudi-led coalition on Houthi military installations in Yemen.
The operation was carried out in retaliation to Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the area, coalition spokesperson Air Vice-Marshal Turki al-Maliki said.
The coalition responded “decisively and forcefully” by hitting Houthi military sites after “their terrorist forces targeted commercial ships in the Red Sea”, Turki al-Maliki said in a statement on X, adding that the military operation had now been completed.
The Houthis had accused Riyadh of “dangerous escalation”.
A Yemeni security source told AFP that a naval base in the port of Hodeidah and a military camp on the island of Kamaran were among the Saudi targets.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for attacks on two Saudi vessels earlier this week, with Saudi Arabia confirming one of the attacks in the Red Sea.
The latest escalation in the Middle East opens a new front in the war that began after US-Israeli strikes on Tehran in February.
Additional sources • ΑΠΕ ΜΠΕ