Egypt strongly condemned on Monday drone and ballistic missile attacks by Yemeni Houthi militias on Saudi Arabia. The missiles were intercepted by the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen in support of the internationally-recognized government of Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi. The Egyptian foreign ministry stressed Egypt's full solidarity with the Kingdom in fighting “such vicious attacks that target civilians and civilian installations.” The ministry added that Egypt supports Riyadh in any actions to defend its lands and national security. The ministry reiterated that such attacks would only lead to further escalation and instability in Yemen, and stressed the importance of achieving a ceasefire to create the conditions to resume the political process and reach a solution in accordance with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) initiative, Yemen's National Dialogue Conference, and UNSC resolution 2216. The statement came hours after the Saudi-led coalition said that it had intercepted and destroyed four missiles and six explosive drones launched by the rebels over the border towards the Gulf country. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they struck a large oil facility in the southern Saudi city of Jizan. The coalition did not reveal details about where the attack was intercepted, but said drones were launched towards Saudi Arabia from the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa. Saudi oil giant Aramco operates a 400,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Jizan, which is around 60 km from the Yemen border. Aramco did not reply to a request for comment, according to Reuters.
