Yemen's Houthi Rebels Claim Drone Strike on Saudi Oil Facility; Saudi Arabia Reports No Casualties

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed on the 9th (local time) that a fire at an oil refinery operated by state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco in Saudi Arabia's Jizan Province was caused by their drone attack.

According to AFP, Yahya Saree, the military spokesman for the Houthi rebels, stated, "We successfully struck the Aramco refinery in Jizan using drones, and the operation was carried out with precision."

He also claimed that the attack was a retaliatory measure against Saudi Arabia's incursions into northwestern Yemeni territory.

Saudi Arabia announced via social media X that a fire broke out at an auxiliary facility of the Aramco refinery in Jizan Province in the early morning hours and that firefighting crews extinguished it.

Saudi authorities stated there were no casualties, but did not mention the cause of the fire or the extent of the damage to the facilities.

Located on the Red Sea coast in southwestern Saudi Arabia, Jizan Province is about 60 kilometers away from the Yemeni border, making it a frequent primary target for the Houthi rebels.

After Saudi Arabia attacked the Houthi-held port of Hodeidah, the Houthi rebels attacked Aramco's refinery complex in Jizan with missiles on the 25th of last month, which led the facility to temporarily suspend operations two days later.

The Jizan refinery complex is capable of processing 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day and features refining and chemical complexes as well as a combined-cycle gas power plant.

Saudi Arabia has been engaged in combat with the Houthis since 2015, supporting Yemen's internationally recognized government in the civil war, and both sides have continued their standoff even after a 2022 truce.

The conflict between the two sides has been further intensifying as tensions in the Middle East escalate due to the war between the United States and Iran.

Backed by Iran, the Houthis recently declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia and have been attacking Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, while Saudi Arabia has been responding by striking Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.