ISTANBUL
Satellite imagery shows extensive damage to a Saudi Aramco fuel depot and apparent damage to a military site in southern Saudi Arabia following recent Yemen’s Houthi attacks, according to analyses by satellite imagery platform Soar.
Satellite images of Saudi Aramco’s bulk fuel plant in Abha show at least six storage tanks completely destroyed, while eight others sustained varying degrees of damage, according to the analysis.
The facility, a major fuel distribution hub for southwestern Saudi Arabia, appears to be largely out of operation, Soar said.
Separately, satellite imagery dated Sept. 13 shows two burn marks on a military hardstand in Sharurah in the southern Najran province.
The area is used to park armored personnel carriers and military pickup trucks, suggesting that the site may have been targeted in a Houthi strike, according to Soar.
The analyses are based on modified Copernicus Sentinel satellite data. Saudi authorities have not provided a detailed assessment of the damage shown in the imagery.
The findings come amid a sharp escalation between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi group, which has launched a series of missile and drone attacks against the kingdom in recent days.
On Sept. 8, Houthi missile and drone attacks targeted Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran, injuring 73 civilians, including women and children, according to Saudi authorities.
The Saudi Energy Ministry said the attacks caused fires at energy facilities in the south of the kingdom and temporarily halted some operations at the targeted sites.
The Houthis have continued their attacks, saying Sunday that they carried out a large-scale missile and drone operation against Saudi military targets, including facilities in Khamis Mushait.
Saudi authorities also issued emergency warnings over potential threats in Abha and Khamis Mushait on Sunday before later announcing that the danger had passed.
The Houthis say their operations are in response to Saudi military strikes in Yemen, while Riyadh has condemned the attacks as violations of its sovereignty and warned that they threaten civilians and critical infrastructure.
