Houthis Claim Drone Strike on Saudi Oil Refinery Amid Escalating Tensions

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a drone strike on a Saudi Aramco refinery in the Red Sea province of Jizan, according to their military spokesman Yahya Saree. The attack was reportedly in response to Saudi drone incursions into northwest Yemen. The Houthis control vast swaths of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and areas bordering Saudi Arabia's Red Sea provinces.

The Houthi rebels have been at odds with Saudi Arabia for years, and a 2022 truce in Yemen's civil war appeared to have collapsed last month after the Houthis announced a maritime blockade of their northern neighbor. The group also targeted Saudi tankers in the Red Sea.

Saudi Arabia's energy ministry said that civil response teams had brought under control a fire at the Jizan refinery without giving the cause of the blaze. The facility was previously targeted by the Houthi rebels in July.