Yemeni Houthis Target World's Largest Oil Processing Facility in Saudi With 10 Drones

Yemeni Houthi rebels have reportedly launched a drone strike attacking the world's largest oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia early on Saturday using ten drones, causing a major fire.

It wasn’t clear if there were any injuries in the attacks in Buqyaq and the Khurais oil field, nor what effect it would have on oil production in the kingdom.

The fires began after the sites were “targeted by drones,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency. It said an investigation into the attack was underway.

"The rebels launched 10 drones in their coordinated attack on the sites," said a correspondent associated with Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV, adding that the attacks by the rebels would only get worse if the war continues.

“The only option for the Saudi government is to stop attacking us,” the correspondent said.

In recent months, Houthis have increasingly used their new UAV-X drone during the Saudi-led coalition’s war in Yemen. According to UN investigators, the drone likely has a range of up to 1,500 kilometres (930 miles), reports HuffPost. It is not known whether the same drone was used to set Saudi oil facility alaze.

Saudi Aramco describes its Abqaiq oil processing facility in Buqyaq as “the largest crude oil stabilization plant in the world.” The facility processes sour crude oil into sweet crude, then later transports onto transhipment points on the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. Estimates suggest it can process up to 7 million barrels of crude oil a day.