Houthis Strike Saudi Aramco's Jazan Refinery Amid Regional Tensions

The Iran-aligned Houthis have attacked Saudi Aramco's Jazan refinery in southwestern Saudi Arabia, citing what they said was a Saudi siege on them. The attack comes just two days after Riyadh signed a defense pact with Turkey and Pakistan in response to growing regional instability from the US-Israeli war on Iran.

The Saudi energy ministry confirmed that a fire broke out at the refinery but was later extinguished with no injuries, and authorities are dealing with the incident. The Houthis used a drone to target the refinery, which processes 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

This is not the first time the Houthis have targeted the Jazan refinery; they have struck Aramco sites before in the same area. Additionally, the Houthis carried out missile and drone strikes on the Yemeni Red Sea port city of Mocha, which is controlled by the Aden-based government.

The attack highlights the escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, who are backed by Iran. The US and Israel's war on Iran has been a major source of regional instability, with Iran and its allied Shi'ite Muslim armed groups firing on Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states and blockading their energy shipments.