SANAA: Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said on Sunday that they had attacked an oil facility belonging to Saudi Aramco in the southwestern Saudi city of Jazan, according to Hurriyet Daily News.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group used a drone to target the refinery. He described the operation as a response to what he called violations of Yemeni airspace by Saudi drones over the provinces of Hajjah and Saada. The Houthis claimed that the strike had hit its intended target.
Hours earlier, Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry reported that a fire had broken out at one of the facilities linked to the Aramco refinery in Jazan. Industrial security teams extinguished the blaze, and no injuries were reported. The ministry did not explain what caused the fire or provide details about possible damage.
The Houthi claim could not immediately be independently verified. However, the incident adds to a growing series of attacks involving Saudi oil facilities and ships connected to the kingdom’s Red Sea trade.
The latest escalation threatens to reopen a dangerous front in Yemen’s long-running civil war. Major fighting fell sharply after a truce in 2022, but the conflict has never fully disappeared. The latest attacks show how quickly old tensions can return, leaving energy infrastructure and vital shipping routes exposed.
The Red Sea is a crucial passage for global trade, and repeated attacks have already caused concern among shipping companies and governments. Any wider campaign against Saudi oil installations or commercial vessels could further disrupt regional trade and place additional pressure on global energy supplies.
The Houthis have presented their attacks as retaliation for Saudi actions in Yemen. Riyadh has not confirmed that the Jazan fire was caused by the reported drone strike, while authorities said they were continuing to deal with the incident.
As smoke clears from the refinery, the wider danger remains: a fragile calm in Yemen could once again be replaced by violence spreading across borders and waterways.
