Saudi Arabia launches Arabia Sea military drills to secure oil sites from Houthi threat

Saudi Arabia kicked off naval exercises in the Arabian Sea on Monday following a series of drone and missile attacks on cities and oil facilities in recent weeks claimed by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The drills, carried out by the Saudi Royal Navy, aim to ensure safe movement in surrounding waters and to upgrade security for the kingdom's fields and installations, the official Saudi Press Agency said.

The drills are being carried out with participation from state oil firm Saudi Aramco.

In March alone, the Iran-aligned Houthis have claimed multiple attacks on Saudi soil, including on a Jeddah fuel depot and the Ras Tanura refinery and oil depot in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

The Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen said on Sunday that it had destroyed Houthi drone and missile workshops in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, held by the Houthis since 2014.

"The operation aims to neutralise and destroy the sources of an impending attack and to protect civilians from hostile attacks," the coalition said in a statement reported by Saudi media.

The Saudi-led coalition has been directly engaged in fighting against the Houthi rebels since March 2015. The fighting has killed tens of thousands of people and left millions of people at risk of famine. 

The Biden administration has been attempting to renew peace talks between Yemen's warring parties, but so far, without success. 

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