The Ansar Allah Houthi group in Yemen announced the targeting of the Ras Tanura refinery, which is the largest oil refinery in Saudi Arabia. The group's spokesman, Yahya Saree, said that a ballistic missile attack caused a fire at the site.
While the Saudi authorities have not commented yet.
The Kingdom's oil exports flow through two main ports: Ras Tanura, located on the Gulf; It originates on the Red Sea.
Earlier, a member of the Houthi Political Council, Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi, considered that the Egyptian Parliament’s authorization of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to take defensive measures to support Saudi Arabia represents a “declaration of war” on Yemen, while Cairo confirms that its support is limited to defending the Kingdom’s lands.
Al-Houthi's statements came in light of the escalation of the confrontation between the group and Saudi Arabia, which announced, on Tuesday, the interception of three ballistic missiles and four drones launched towards its territory.
Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi said, in statements on Monday-Tuesday night, that Egypt’s support for what he described as defending Saudi Arabia contradicts the declared efforts to reduce the escalation in the region.
He added: "Egypt and its parliament declare support for the so-called defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and in doing so it declares war against the Republic of Yemen."
On Monday, the Egyptian House of Representatives approved, by a two-thirds majority of its members, authorizing Sisi to take the necessary measures to support Saudi Arabia and defend its lands and sovereignty, in coordination between the two countries.
Parliament did not specify the nature of the support that Cairo might provide, while the country’s president stressed that Egyptian assistance would be limited to defending Saudi territory, and would not include launching an attack on Yemen.
The Associated Press quoted a well-informed regional official as saying that Egypt intends to provide air defense systems and aircraft to help intercept missiles and drones launched towards Saudi Arabia. The official said that the support will not include sending ground forces to Yemen.
The move raised concerns among some Egyptians about the possibility of their country becoming involved in the ongoing war in Yemen. The opposition Egyptian Social Democratic Party had announced that its parliamentary bloc would abstain from voting, citing the lack of sufficient information about the scope, duration, costs and risks that the Egyptian forces might face, and called for giving priority to diplomacy.
On Tuesday, oil prices witnessed a decline, in light of traders’ assessment of the regional efforts made with Iranian participation to reduce tensions, in the face of the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and the risks surrounding trucks crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
Brent crude contracts due in December recorded a decrease of 0.8 percent at $114.93 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate crude contracts due in December decreased by 0.9 percent at $100.90 per barrel.
On the ground, fighting raged around the besieged Yemeni city of Taiz, south of the capital, Sanaa. The Houthis accused the Yemeni government forces of attacking a gas station, which led to the death of at least two people and the injury of many others.
Human Rights Watch said, in a report issued on Monday, that the Houthis “may have violated international law” through an attack that targeted a road leading to the city of Taiz, where the humanitarian situation is deteriorating.
Meanwhile, the spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, Turki Al-Maliki, announced the interception and destruction of three ballistic missiles launched on Tuesday morning towards the eastern region of the Kingdom, and four drones launched towards the southern region.
The announcement, which was published on the “X” platform, comes in light of the continuation of missile and drone attacks that the Houthis claim to be carrying out against targets inside Saudi Arabia, while the coalition confirms the continuation of its operations to intercept threats and protect civilians and infrastructure.
The Saudi Civil Defense issued two early warnings about possible threats in the Eastern Province and Al-Kharj Governorate, before later announcing that the danger there had passed, according to Reuters.
An early warning was also issued about a potential danger in the city of Najran, southern Saudi Arabia, according to Khaleej Times.
Air traffic in Saudi Arabia witnessed widespread disruption due to the Houthi attacks, which targeted airports, energy facilities and other sites in the Kingdom.
About 86 percent of scheduled flights were canceled at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh between the eighth and twenty-fifth of October, according to data from Sirim, a company specializing in aviation data analysis, reported by Reuters.
The airport was partially reopened on Sunday, after work stopped following an attack on the 10th of the same month that killed 13 people, according to the agency. The Houthis said they targeted the airport again on Monday, describing it as a "military target."
In parallel with the military escalation, the Saudi Defense Minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, participated on Monday in a meeting in the Iranian capital, Tehran, which included officials from Iran, Turkey, and Pakistan.
