Saudi Arabia: Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for a deadly drone attack on Saudi Aramco’s Jazan refinery in southwestern Saudi Arabia on Sunday. This is the second major attack on Saudi energy infrastructure by the rebels in a month.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said, “Our forces succeeded in carrying out a precise drone attack on the Aramco oil refinery in Jizan.” He said the attack was in retaliation for drone attacks by Saudi forces on Yemen’s Hajj and Saada provinces.
Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry separately confirmed that a fire broke out at an Aramco facility in Jizan early Sunday. Local industrial safety firefighters responded quickly to the fire and there were no casualties. The ministry did not specify the exact cause of the fire.
On July 26, Houthi forces launched missile and drone attacks on Aramco facilities in Jizan and Yanbu provinces. Yemeni government officials said the rebels also launched missile attacks on the key port of Mokha, which is under the control of Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
The attacks on Saudi oil facilities come amid escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, which have raised concerns about global oil supplies and the smooth flow of traffic in the Red Sea. The attacks came after Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a mutual defense pact in Mecca on Friday. On the other hand, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has clarified that talks with the US are only going through mediators and that no direct negotiations are taking place.