Egypt condemned “in strongest terms” an attempted attack by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels against oil giant Aramco's refinery and terminal in Saudi Arabia.

In an official statement on Friday, the Egyptian foreign ministry stressed its full rejection and denunciation to the “vile acts of vandalism that target the security and stability of Saudi Arabia, its people and the safety of its vital installations”.

It underlines its support for any measures taken by the kingdom to safeguard its security, stability, and the safety of its citizens and to counter all forms of terrorism.

The statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry comes hours after Riyadh said early Friday that it thwarted an attack by Houthis that involved dispatched unmanned boats laden with explosives.

An unnamed official at Saudi Arabia’s energy ministry said, in statements carried by state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA), that security forces intercepted and destroyed the boats that the rebels were using to target a major refinery and terminal in the country’s southern province of Jizan.

The attack, which took place late Wednesday, caused floating hoses that unloaded oil which then caught fire. It was however controlled, and no casualties were reported.
 
Egypt has repeatedly expressed its full support for the Saudi Arabian-led coalition against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, saying the Iran-backed movement’s practices further inflame the situation in Yemen.