iyadh (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) – Saudi Arabia on Tuesday threatened to hit back after a wave of missiles from Yemen’s Houthis set oil facilities ablaze and wounded dozens, the Iran-backed rebels’ heaviest attack in years.

The overnight attacks caused “temporary” shutdowns at oil sites and left 73 injured, Saudi authorities said, a reminder of the danger posed by the group across the southern Saudi border.

Fighting between the Tehran-supported Houthis and Saudi forces has reignited after a four-year truce collapsed in July, months into the Middle East war between the United States and Iran.

In recent days, hundreds have died in clashes between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces around the Bab al-Mandab strait, the mouth of the vital Red Sea shipping route.

The Houthi attacks on energy facilities are likely to increase upward pressure on oil prices, which have spiked since Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, slowing Gulf shipments to a trickle.

Saudi Arabia will “take all necessary measures to defend its sovereignty”, a foreign ministry statement said, demanding a halt to the Houthi strikes and their attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.

The Houthis fired dozens of ballistic missiles, their military spokesman said.

They hit Abha International Airport, King Khalid air base and facilities belonging to state oil giant Aramco in Abha and Jizan, according to the rebels’ official media.

…