SANAA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a large-scale missile and drone raids on military and energy facilities across southern Saudi Arabia, saying the attacks were in response to recent Saudi military operations in Yemen.
In a statement broadcast by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the group used "dozens of ballistic missiles and drones" to strike facilities belonging to Saudi state oil giant Aramco in the cities of Abha, Najran and Jazan, as well as Jazan City for Primary and Downstream Industries and King Khalid Air Base near the city of Khamis Mushait in the southwestern Asir region.
Sarea claimed the strikes were "precise and direct" and caused "significant damage" to the targets, giving no further details.
Saudi authorities said earlier Tuesday that the Houthi attacks hit civilian and economic sites in Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran, injuring 73 people. Fires broke out at several energy facilities and utilities, forcing temporary suspension of operations, according to the Saudi energy ministry.
Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki described the attacks as a "dangerous escalation" and said the coalition would take measures to deter further attacks.
In his statement, Sarea said Tuesday's operation was carried out in response to "a sharp escalation of Saudi military operations" in Yemen, claiming that 121 airstrikes had been conducted on Houthi-held areas over the past three days.
Sarea also cited a Monday airstrike on a prison in Al-Hazm, the provincial capital of the northern Al-Jawf province, which Houthi authorities said caused casualties among inmates and visitors.
He said the Houthi group would continue military operations "deep inside Saudi Arabia," targeting troop concentrations, and threatened "stronger and wider strikes" if Saudi military operations in Yemen continued.
The cross-border attacks came amid an intensified fighting inside Yemen. Government forces backed by Saudi Arabia have been battling Houthi forces on several fronts, including in Taiz, Hodeidah and Al-Jawf provinces. On Monday, government forces launched a major offensive in Al-Jawf as fighting was going on in western Yemen.
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg on Monday called the renewed hostilities "an extremely alarming development" and urged all parties to cease hostilities and exercise maximum restraint. ■
