Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis claimed responsibility for a strike on Saudi Arabia's largest oil refinery, the Ras Tanura facility, on Tuesday. The group stated that a ballistic missile hit the refinery, causing a fire at the complex, which also includes a shipping terminal. Saudi authorities did not immediately confirm the attack, but Bloomberg News reported that a fire near the terminal had been contained.
The Ras Tanura refinery, with a capacity of 550,000 barrels per day, was previously shut as a precautionary measure early in the Iran war. The facility is crucial for Saudi Arabia's oil exports, along with the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea, both of which have been targeted by the Houthis in the past.
The Houthis also reported attacks on Saudi military aircraft at Najran Airport and an airbase in Khamis Mushait, though these claims were not confirmed by Saudi officials. Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched towards the capital Riyadh.
The escalating conflict has disrupted oil supplies and raised concerns about a broader regional conflict, eight months after the Iran war began. The fighting has also shattered a 2022 UN-brokered truce between the coalition and the Houthis, who control the Yemeni capital Sanaa.