JAZAN, Saudi Arabia — Yemen’s Houthi movement said it carried out a drone attack on Saudi Aramco’s Jazan refinery on Sunday, while Saudi authorities confirmed a fire at the facility that was later extinguished and said there were no injuries.
The Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said the group had targeted the refinery in southwestern Saudi Arabia with a drone. The group has previously claimed attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure as regional tensions have escalated.
Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry confirmed that a fire broke out at the Jazan refinery but did not attribute the incident to the Houthis. The ministry said the blaze was extinguished and that authorities were handling the incident. No injuries were reported.
The Jazan refinery has a processing capacity of about 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The facility had already been offline following an earlier Houthi attack in late July, according to a consultancy note seen by Reuters. That attack damaged parts of the refinery, including its integrated gasification combined-cycle complex and tank farm, with repairs tentatively expected to be completed by Aug. 15.
The latest strike came as the Houthis have stepped up attacks against Saudi energy infrastructure and shipping. The group declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia last month, while the wider regional conflict has disrupted energy supplies and shipping through key waterways.
The attack also followed Saudi Arabia’s signing on Friday of a defense pact with Turkey and Pakistan. The agreement says an armed attack against any of the three countries would be regarded as an attack against all, although Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the pact was not directed at any particular country.
In a separate attack on Sunday, the Houthis targeted the Yemeni Red Sea port of Mocha with missiles and drones, according to Saree. A medical source cited by Euronews said the strikes killed at least 11 people, including civilians and military personnel, although figures from Yemeni officials varied.
Saudi authorities have not publicly confirmed that the refinery fire was caused by the Houthi attack. The latest confirmed status is that the fire at the Jazan facility has been extinguished and no injuries were reported.
