JEDDAH: Although the fire at the north Jeddah oil facility is under control, plumes of black smoke could be seen across the city on Saturday.
The Houthi militia attacked the facility on Friday. After more than 24 hours, the smoke was still in the air causing environmental damage.
The Muslim World League, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Gulf Cooperation Council strongly condemned the attacks targeting civilian objects and vital economic installations in Saudi Arabia.
MWL Secretary-General Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa criticized the militia’s continued crimes, targeting civilians and civilian facilities. He warned against the deliberate and repeated attempts by the Houthis to threaten the security and stability of global energy supplies.
Al-Issa also reiterated, on behalf of the league and its international councils and bodies, full solidarity with the Kingdom in all the measures it takes to preserve its security and the safety of its citizens and residents on its territory.
The Kingdom’s permanent representative to the OIC, Saleh Hamad Al-Suhaibani, also condemned the attack. He stressed that the international community should take responsibility and confront these violations of international humanitarian law, and deter Iran, which supports the militia, to ensure the stability of the region.
Al-Suhaibani explained that terrorist attacks and those behind them do not target the Kingdom alone, but also aim to destabilize energy supplies in the world. He said that the OIC stood in solidarity with Saudi Arabia and supports it in all the measures it takes to defend its security, protect its lands and vital facilities, and preserve the safety of its citizens and residents.
Dr. Nayef Falah Al-Hajjraf, secretary-general of the GCC, stressed that “the continued attacks and targeting of civilian facilities and power stations pose a threat to security and stability, and harm the global economy and energy supplies, which requires the international community to take a firm stand against these attacks as it violates the international law.”
Saudi Ambassador to the US Princess Reema bint Bandar tweeted on her official Twitter account: “The Iran-backed terrorist Houthis continue to attack our civilians, infrastructure & energy facilities with Iranian made missiles & UAV’s with impunity. The international community must act against this aggression that targets innocent civilians and global energy supplies.”
Coalition authorities said the fire had been brought under control, and that there were no casualties.
The Houthis, who seized the capital Sanaa in 2014 and continues to hold large parts of Yemen, has conducted regular attacks against civilian infrastructure in the Kingdom.
