Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis bomb Saudi Aramco refinery

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels attacked the Saudi Aramco refinery facility in Jazan, southwestern Saudi Arabia, with a drone early Sunday.
Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry confirmed that a fire broke out at the facility but did not say what caused it.
It also said there were no casualties, adding, “The competent authorities are completing the necessary procedures to deal with the incident.”
However, the rebel movement claimed responsibility for the attack.
“By the grace of God, the Yemeni Armed Forces succeeded in targeting the Aramco refinery in Jizan with a drone, and the strike was precise,” Houthi-led Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson Yahya Saree said on X.
Mr Saree added that the drone attack was “in response to the Saudi enemy’s breach of the airspace of the provinces of Saada and Hajjah with its drones.”
The Houthis have repeatedly targeted Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure. Last month, they attacked Aramco facilities in Jizan, located on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast near the Yemeni border, and also struck oil facilities in Yanbu.
The refinery, which has a capacity of 400,000 barrels per day, was shut in late July.
Aramco Chief Executive Amin Nasser had raised concerns about disruptions to oil production but noted that operations would be restored quickly.
The latest attack came barely 48 hours after Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a defence pact amid the growing tension in the Middle East following the U.S. war on Iran.
The Muslim-majority nations signed the deal in Mecca, agreeing that an armed attack against one would be treated as an attack against the trio.
It’s unclear whether Pakistan or Turkey would respond to the latest attacks.
In a separate statement, the group said it targeted Saudi military personnel and equipment in Mocha, a Yemeni Red Sea port city, with “a large number of ballistic missiles and drones.”
The Yemeni military said seven people were killed in the attack. Its transportation ministry said, “This marks yet another assault on a vital civilian facility that serves citizens and contributes to boosting commercial and maritime activity in the Red Sea.”
The Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea last month, citing what they said was a Saudi siege against them, an allegation Riyadh denies.
The latest incidents come as fighting intensifies between the Houthis and Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, threatening the 2022 UN-brokered truce.
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