Houthi Attacks on Saudi Oil Facility and Yemen Port Spark Fears of Civil War

The Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched attacks on a Saudi oil facility and a government-held port on the Red Sea coast, killing several people and deepening fears over threats to strategic Middle East shipping routes.

The Houthis claimed they targeted military forces and warehouses at the Mokha port, which is a main shipping point under Yemen's internationally recognized government. The attack killed at least seven people, including four troops and three civilians, and injured 15 others.

Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesperson, said they also targeted an Aramco refinery in the Saudi city of Jazan with a drone in response to Saudi drones breaching Yemen's airspace over Hajjah and Saada provinces. The Saudi Energy Ministry reported a fire at a facility belonging to the Aramco refinery, but no casualties were reported.

The attacks threaten to reignite Yemen's civil war after a 2022 truce. The Pentagon is also pressing the US defense industry to accelerate weapons production as concerns about shortages grow.