Yemeni rebels claim responsibility for attack on Aramco facility in Jazan. Saudi Energy Ministry confirmed a fire broke out, which firefighting teams successfully extinguished, with no injuries reported.
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels announced on Sunday, August 9, 2026, that they had carried out an attack on a Saudi oil refinery on the Red Sea coast. The group's military spokesman, Yahya Saree, stated that the Houthis had "successfully targeted the Aramco refinery," the Saudi oil giant, in the city of Jazan in the southwest of the country.
According to Saree's remarks posted on platform X, the attack was carried out using a drone and constituted a "precision strike." He added that the action was taken in response to Saudi incursions into territory in northwestern Yemen. This is the latest escalation in a conflict that has intensified in recent months.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy issued a statement confirming that a fire broke out at the refinery site but did not specify its cause. "Aramco's firefighting teams extinguished the fire that broke out at dawn, with no injuries," the ministry's official statement read.
The Jazan refinery was also targeted by Houthi attacks last month, in July 2026. That strike marked a return to hostilities following a truce reached in 2022, which had halted Yemen's multi-year civil war.
The resurgence of hostilities in Yemen is part of a broader regional conflagration that followed the war between the US and Israel with Iran, which began in February 2026. In late July 2026, the Houthis announced a blockade of Saudi ships in the Red Sea, a crucial maritime corridor for energy transport.
The significance of the Red Sea has further increased since Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz. In this context, attacks on Saudi infrastructure and threats to shipping represent significant pressure on global oil supply chains. In a separate but related development, at least 58 government soldiers were killed on Thursday in an attack on a military camp in central Yemen.
Saudi Arabia, which supports the internationally recognized Yemeni government in the conflict, is seeking to strengthen its security alliances. On Friday, it signed a mutual defense pact with Pakistan and Turkey, indicating further deterioration of relations and preparations for potential long-term instability in the region.
