Houthis warn civilians to stay away from Saudi Aramco facilities

Yemen’s Houthis warned Tuesday all employees and civilians near facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco to evacuate and stay away from the sites.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement that the group considers any Aramco oil facility a “legitimate target” for its forces.

In a later statement, Saree renewed the warning to experts, engineers and workers at all Saudi oil facilities, including those previously targeted and other sites considered targets by the group, urging them to stay away to avoid putting their lives at risk.

The warning comes amid escalating hostilities between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

​​​​​​​Earlier Tuesday, the Saudi-led coalition ordered civilians to evacuate the Yemen Petroleum Company’s central al-Sabahah station in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa for their safety ahead of a planned military operation.