Jizan Aramco fire extinguished as Houthis claim drone strike
The Houthi armed group has claimed responsibility for the incident, citing alleged Saudi airspace breaches, while Riyadh has not yet commented on the assertion.
Saudi authorities have confirmed that a fire at an Aramco facility in the coastal city of Jizan has been extinguished, with no casualties reported. The blaze broke out early on Sunday, prompting the Saudi Ministry of Energy to state on X that competent authorities were completing necessary procedures to manage the incident.
Yemen’s Houthi armed group claimed responsibility for the event, asserting that it used a drone to target the refinery. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree stated on X that the group “succeeded in targeting the Aramco refinery in Jizan with a drone, and the strike was precise.” He attributed the attack to alleged Saudi Arabia breaches of the airspace in the provinces of Saada and Hajjah.
Riyadh had not immediately commented on the Houthi claim at the time of reporting. Al Jazeera contacted the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs for further comment. The incident marks the latest in a series of Houthi claims targeting Saudi oil infrastructure, following similar assertions last month regarding attacks on Aramco facilities in Jizan and oil installations in Yanbu.
Aramco chief executive Amin Nasser stated last week that recent attacks had caused minor production interruptions but had no material operational or financial impact. He expressed confidence that operations could be restored quickly, noting that the company remained resilient despite the ongoing threats.
The attacks have intensified strains on a 2022 truce between the Houthis and Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia. The Houthis, who took control of Sanaa in 2014, declared a blockade on Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea last month, threatening shipping through the Bab al-Mandeb strait.
Regional tensions have further escalated following Saudi Arabia’s signing of a defence pact with Turkiye and Pakistan on Friday. This agreement comes amid rising geopolitical friction linked to the US-Israel war on Iran, with Saudi authorities also blaming Iran-aligned armed groups in Iraq for previous attacks on its oil facilities.
