Formula One, Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Yemeni Rebels Attack on Saudi Oil Plant Sparks Massive Fire at F1 Circuit
Formula 1: There is a big fire near the Jeddah F1 circuit.© AFP
Yemeni rebels attacked Saudi Aramco’s oil facility sparking huge fires visible from Jeddah’s Formula One tracks as part of a wave of attacks on Friday. “We carried out several attacks with drones and ballistic missiles,” Iranian -backed Huthi rebels said in a statement, including “the Aramco installation in Jeddah (and) an important installation in Riyadh”.
The Saudi -led coalition fighting Iranian -backed rebels confirmed the attack, which comes on the eve of the seventh anniversary of its military intervention in the brutal civil war in Yemen.
Smoke billowed near Jeddah’s F1 circuit as drivers took part in training, with Red Bull world champion Max Verstappen saying he could smell fire as he drove.
“I can smell burning … is it my car?” the Dutchman asked over the troop radio.
Promoted
The rebels claimed 16 attacks on several targets including an electric station in Jizan, bordering Yemen, which were set on fire.
The Saudi -led coalition intervened to support the internationally recognized Yemeni government in 2015, after rebels seized the capital Sanaa the year before.
Topics covered in this article
