Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for a drone strike on a Saudi Aramco oil refinery located along the Red Sea coast in Jazan. Military spokesperson Yahya Saree stated that the operation was carried out with precision, framing the attack as a direct retaliation for recent drone incursions into northwest Yemen. While Saudi Arabia’s energy ministry confirmed that a fire broke out at the site during the early hours of Sunday, they stated that response teams successfully extinguished the blaze with no reported casualties.

The incident marks a worrying escalation as the fragile truce in Yemen’s long-standing civil war appears to be unraveling. Beyond the Jazan refinery attack, reports have emerged of Houthi missiles and drones targeting the government-held city of Mokha, where residents described hearing multiple explosions. These hostilities, coupled with the Houthi-imposed maritime blockade and parallel tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, signal a volatile shift in regional stability as the conflict continues to draw in international interests.