Houthis hit Saudi oil facilities as regional conflict widens
The Yemeni group said it attacked Aramco sites in Jizan and Yanbu, raising fears over Red Sea and Gulf supply routes.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
4 min read
Houthi forces in Yemen fired missiles and drones at Saudi oil facilities on the Red Sea, Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters reported, opening another flashpoint in the wider conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran. The attacks targeted sites belonging to Saudi Aramco in Jizan and Yanbu, two coastal cities tied to Saudi Arabia’s energy network.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group carried out the strikes in retaliation for Saudi air attacks on the Houthi-held city of Hodeidah late Friday, according to Al Jazeera. Saudi Arabia had not commented on damage at Aramco’s refinery in Jizan, but Al Jazeera reported that a large column of smoke was seen after the attack.
In Yanbu, Saudi Arabia’s main west coast export gateway, two ballistic missiles aimed at oil installations were intercepted by a Patriot battery operated in the kingdom by the Greek military under an agreement with Riyadh, Al Jazeera reported.
Why are the Houthis attacking Saudi oil facilities?
The latest escalation follows the collapse of a 2022 truce between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi movement, which controls much of northern and western Yemen, including Sanaa, according to Al Jazeera. The truce fell apart this month after an attack on Sanaa airport aimed at stopping an Iranian plane from landing prompted the Houthis to fire ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia, Al Jazeera reported.
The Houthis declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia last Monday, according to Al Jazeera. The group is backed by Tehran, while Saudi Arabia is allied with the United States and entered Yemen’s civil war against the Houthis in 2015 with regional partners.
Shipping routes face new pressure
The renewed Yemen-Saudi fighting has raised concern that the Houthis could try to close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, Al Jazeera reported. The strait links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is one of the maritime chokepoints used by global trade and energy shipments.
Al Jazeera reported that Iran’s attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz have already squeezed exports of oil and raw materials used for fertiliser, pushing energy prices higher and increasing food-security risks in vulnerable countries. If both Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb were blocked, Al Jazeera reported, the supply disruption would cause broad economic damage.
US-Iran strikes pause as contacts continue
The attacks in Saudi Arabia came as Iran saw a second straight night without new US air strikes by Sunday morning, according to Al Jazeera. Iran had faced 13 consecutive waves of overnight US attacks since July 11, after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked tankers trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reported.
US President Donald Trump has not publicly given a reason for the pause. A senior administration official told Reuters that Trump preferred diplomacy but had shown Iran the consequences of refusing serious talks.
Trump said Friday that communication with Iran was still taking place. “They are talking to us right now; they’d love to make a deal,” Trump said, while adding that he did not think Tehran was ready and that he was willing to listen.
Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar, reporting from Tehran, said Iranian officials confirmed that messages were being exchanged through mediators. Serdar said proposals had been passed along and Tehran was reviewing them, but he reported “not much progress yet” because of major differences and mistrust.
Conflict overlaps with Ukraine war
The US-Iran conflict has also intersected with Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to Al Jazeera. Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said a long-range strike on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea on Saturday caused an explosion that killed one sailor and wounded another, and Tehran blamed Ukraine for the attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X that Kyiv had achieved “very strong results” with long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea, hitting vessels used in military cargo shipments involving Iran and a warship. Zelenskyy also claimed that Kyiv had detected Russian satellite surveillance of Gulf states and US military facilities there since early July, and said the images were passed to Tehran to help the IRGC identify targets.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.