Houthis Strike Saudi Oil Sites as Tensions with Iran Intensify

The Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched a missile and drone attack on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities, hitting sites operated by Aramco. The targets included Jizan and Yanbu, with reports of fires breaking out at an Aramco refinery in Jizan. A Greek surface-to-air battery, operating in Saudi Arabia, downed two ballistic missiles targeting Yanbu.

The attack comes amid escalating tensions between the US and Iranian allies, following strikes on Iran by the US and Israel earlier this month. The Houthi rebels accused Saudi Arabia of a 'dangerous escalation' after Riyadh struck their targets in Yemen on Friday.

Yemen's civil war has been ongoing since 2015, with hundreds of thousands killed and a major humanitarian crisis triggered. A UN-negotiated truce was reached in 2022, but fighting had largely frozen until this week's Houthi maritime blockade of Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.

US President Donald Trump said he hadn't yet decided on major strikes against Iran, citing progress in talks with Tehran. He warned that a 'tipping point' would be reached if Iran was close to developing a nuclear weapon, which would trigger increased US action.