2022 Jeddah missile attack

Two months prior to this attack, the Houthis conducted a similar drone and missile attack on Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on 17 January 2022, blowing up an oil tanker and killing three people. In September 2019, an attack on Abqaiq-Khurais claimed by the Houthis damaged key oil processing plants in eastern Saudi Arabia and temporarily rendered them offline. == Attack ==

The Houthi attack hit a fuel distribution station belonging to Saudi Aramco, setting two storage tanks on fire and causing black smoke to engulf the sky over Jeddah. According to the spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition, Turki al-Maliki, the blazes had been brought under control and no one had been hurt. Oil briefly rose above $120 a barrel but later dropped slightly. The second practice session was delayed by 15 minutes to allow for an emergency meeting between the drivers, team principals and Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali. Despite the attack, Formula One and the organizers announced that the event would continue as planned. The Grand Prix Drivers' Association held a further meeting with the drivers at 10 p.m. local time; all drivers agreed to participate for the remainder of the event after four and a half hours of talks. According to the BBC, Formula One's management, staff, drivers & spectators were reassured over security and convinced to carry on the race weekend after being warned of "the consequences of not racing," which reportedly included potentially being denied exit visa to leave the country in the event of a boycott. == Retaliation ==

In retaliation to the attack, the Saudi-led coalition pounded Houthi targets in Yemen, bombing a power plant, fuel supply station, and social insurance office in Sanaa. In response, the Houthis unilaterally declared a three-day ceasefire and indicated that they are willing to negotiate a permanent ceasefire in attacks against the Saudi-led coalition. == Reactions ==

• : Saudi Arabia said that it reserves the right to respond to the Houthi aggression. Saudi ambassador to the United States, Princess Reema bint Bandar, stated "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." • : Bahrain said it backs all measures Saudi Arabia "deems necessary to maintain its security and stability against these deliberate and systematic attacks that are inconsistent with international humanitarian law." • : Canada condemned the attack and called on the Houthis to negotiate, reject violence, and cease all attacks. U.S. National Security advisor Jake Sullivan condemned the "unprovoked Houthi attacks" as "acts of terrorism aimed to prolong the suffering of the Yemeni people." He also accused Iran of facilitating the Houthis' actions by supplying weapons, stating the attacks "were clearly enabled by Iran in violation of UN Security Council resolutions prohibiting the import of weapons into Yemen." == References ==