Houthi rebels have launched fresh strikes on Saudi oil sites as Western-backed Yemeni government forces vow to retake all territory from the Iran-backed militia.
asserted
forces → launch → militia
Yahya Saree, Yemen's Houthi military spokesman, said on Sunday that the group had launched a ballistic missile and drone attack on Saudi energy giant Aramco's sites in capital Riyadh and the oil-rich Khurais area in the kingdom's east.
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group → say → east
He said: 'Both operations successfully achieved their objectives.
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operations → say → objectives
The strikes were precise, causing large fires at the targeted sites.'
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strikes → cause → sites
The strikes came as Yemen's leader announced the start of a new military operation to retake all territory held by the Houthis, even as the group made fresh gains on the ground, effectively encircling a government-held city.
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group → come → city
The announcement sets an ambitious goal for the embattled government, which recently lost large swathes of the country's Red Sea coastline and areas around the Bab al-Mandab Strait – a chokepoint for international shipping – after a lightning offensive by the Iran-backed Houthis.
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which → set → Houthis
The Yemeni government has struggled to roll back the surge, even with the military support of Saudi Arabia, where the Houthis said they had attacked oil infrastructure in the capital yet again on Sunday.
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they → struggle → Sunday
Rashad al-Alimi, the head of Yemen's presidential council, said: 'I announce today the start of military operations to retake the remaining territories of the republic and extend the authority of the state and its institutions across the entire national territory.'
Mr Alimi called on Yemen's armed forces 'to begin carrying out their assigned missions, in accordance with the approved plans, until the country is liberated from the grip of the Houthi terrorist militia'.
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country → say → militia
Thick black smoke and flames erupted around the Aramco oil refinery in Riyadh as the Houthis launched a fresh attack, furthering fears of escalating oil prices around the world
The oil refinery belongs to Saudi state-owned oil giant Aramco, which is south of Riyadh
Experts say the latest Houthi strike on a Saudi oil refinery could drive another spike in global energy prices, which have been rising amid simmering tensions in the Middle East
The statement came just hours after the Houthis cut a vital supply route linking the besieged city of Taiz with the government's interim capital Aden, according to four security sources.
The Houthi advance followed days of heavy fighting in and around the city.
uncertain
advance → erupt → city
A police source said: 'We were informed that the Houthis had taken control of the al-Safiya area, where they cut the main road and took control of the police station.'
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they → say → station
Three sources with the Yemeni military also confirmed Houthi control over the area and the supply route, with traffic along the road halted and the group now surrounding Taiz city.
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group → confirm → city
The military sources added that fighting in the area was ongoing.
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fighting → add → area
Taiz itself remains under the control of government forces but has long been besieged from the north, east and west by Houthi fighters and remains one of the main fronts in Yemen's long-running civil war.
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Taiz → remain → war
Farea Al-Muslimi, research fellow at the think-tank Chatham House, said: 'They've achieved the military objective of isolating Taiz from Aden, even if they haven't fully taken control of it.'
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they → say → it
Muslimi also downplayed expectations over what the coming government offensive might accomplish.
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offensive → downplay → what
He added that 'in my opinion, it's meaningless'.
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it → add → opinion
Following several years of relative calm, Yemen's civil war reignited in July against the backdrop of the wider conflict in the Middle East.
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war → follow → East
It has also drawn in Saudi Arabia – leader of an anti-Houthi military coalition since 2015 – with the group regularly claiming attacks on the kingdom's territory in recent weeks and declaring a blockade of its ships in the Red Sea.
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group → draw → Sea
The Houthis' Al-Masirah reported Saudi strikes on Sunday in the northern governorates of al-Jawf and Saada, saying at least two people had been wounded.
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people → report → Jawf
They came a day after Yemen's government said its forces struck Houthi targets around the country, including in the capital Sanaa, the northwestern governorate of Saada and the group's positions near Taiz in the south-west.
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forces → come → west
The Yemeni government's air capabilities, however, are limited, and the Saudi-led coalition has long been the primary force carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis.
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coalition → lead → Houthis
Experts believe the recent operations have most likely been conducted by Saudi warplanes as well.
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operations → believe → warplanes
On Saturday morning, thick black smoke and flames erupted around an oil refinery in the Saudi capital as the Houthis launched a fresh attack, furthering fears of escalating oil prices around the world.
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Houthis → erupt → world
Hours after the facility was struck on Saturday morning, the Saudi military launched counter-strikes on the Iran-backed group in Yemen.
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military → strike → Yemen
The oil refinery belongs to state-owned oil giant Aramco, which is south of Riyadh.
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which → belong → Riyadh
Neither the Houthis nor Saudi authorities have yet commented on the incident.
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Houthis → comment → incident
The circumstances remained unclear, though the Houthis have claimed several attacks on facilities belonging to Aramco, majority-owned by the Saudi state, in recent months.
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Houthis → remain → months
Firefighters were seen attempting to extinguish the enormous flames at the energy giant's Riyadh refinery, located to the south of the capital, while ambulances and police vehicles were stationed nearby.
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ambulances → see → capital
The Houthis have recently launched several attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia in retaliation for Riyadh backing the internationally recognised government in Yemen's ongoing civil war.
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Riyadh → launch → war
Experts say this latest incident could drive another spike in global energy prices.
uncertain
incident → say → prices
Petrol and diesel have already risen rapidly, while natural gas – used for heating homes and generating electricity – has almost doubled in the UK and Europe since July.
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gas → rise → July
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea delivers a televised statement in Sanaa, Yemen
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Sarea → deliver → Sanaa
Notably, the Houthi strike came just a day after the G7 nations announced the release of diesel and crude stocks to ease surging fuel prices amid the simmering tensions.
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nations → come → tensions
The G7 – comprising France, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States – will deploy 100 million barrels of reserves over the next four months 'with a frontloaded substantial diesel release within the first 20 days', the group's leaders said in a joint statement on Friday.
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leaders → comprise → Friday
Within hours of the oil refinery being set alight on Saturday, Houthi rebels reported dozens of strikes on Yemen's capital, Sanaa.
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rebels → set → capital
The foes have traded attacks since the Houthis seized all of Yemen's Red Sea coast and took control of the Bab al-Mandab strait in a lightning offensive.
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Houthis → trade → offensive
In Sanaa, witnesses reported hearing loud explosions and seeing warplanes firing missiles on the city.
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warplanes → report → city
The Houthis' Al-Masirah channel also reported missile strikes on the telecommunications network in Yemen's northwestern governorate of Saada, one of the group's strongholds.
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channel → report → strongholds
It comes after the Houthis said Saudi Arabia bombed the Yemeni capital itself on Thursday night for the first time since renewed fighting broke out between the two sides in July.
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fighting → come → July
Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world and remains gripped by a vast humanitarian crisis that has unspooled since the civil war broke out in 2014.
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war → grip → 2014
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
