Houthis Strike Saudi Oil Installations Amid Escalating Gulf Tensions

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis fired on Saudi oil installations in two ports on the Red Sea coast, causing damage to fuel and oil storage sites. The US held back from launching air strikes on Iran for the first night in two weeks, after a streak of 13 nights of escalating strikes in retaliation for Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz since an interim deal to end hostilities collapsed.

The lull in Gulf fighting came as reports emerged that Saudi oil giant Aramco was hit by Houthi ballistic missiles at its refineries in Jizan and Yanbu. Video shared on social media showed a large column of smoke rising from the direction of the Aramco refinery in Jizan.

The Yemeni civil war, which has been paused under a ceasefire since 2022, appears to be escalating with both sides mobilising forces along the front. Saudi Arabia led an Arab coalition battling against the Houthis for more than a decade after they captured Yemen's capital, Sanaa.