Yemen’s Military Rejects Reports of Attack on Pipeline in Ma’rib as ‘Baseless’
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree rejected as “baseless” reports by Saudi media that Yemeni troops had targeted an oil pipeline pumping station in the central province of Ma’rib.
“Even though our missiles and unmanned aerial aircraft have reached the enemy’s depth and targeted its installations, we have never attacked any national facility inside our country,” al-Masirah television network quoted Saree as saying on Sunday, according to Press TV.
On Sunday, Yemeni armed forces inflicted major losses on Saudi-sponsored militants in Ma'rib after they attempted to advance towards Kofel district in Sirwah which is under the control of Ansarullah fighters. During the counterattack, more than 80 militants, including several ringleaders, were killed and injured.
Later in the day, Saudi media alleged that the Yemeni forces had targeted an oil pipeline in Safar oil field of Ma’rib, causing damage.
The spokesman further dismissed the reports as “baseless”, adding, “Since the start of the brutal aggression against our country, we have committed ourselves to spare national installations, whether they serve all people or only part of it".
Yemeni troops have edged closer to liberating Ma’rib after taking control of the neighboring strategic province of al-Jawf, which borders Saudi Arabia, in early March.
The US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, estimates that the Saudi war has claimed more than 100,000 lives in Yemen since 2015.
The UN says over 24 million Yemenis are now in dire need of humanitarian aid, including 10 million suffering from extreme levels of hunger.