Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have claimed responsibility for the attack on a gas facility in Saudi Arabia’s Jubail region, Reuters reported citing Houthi’s military spokesperson.
Houthi’s Yahya Saree said the group had “succeeded in targeting the Aramco refinery in Jazan with a drone, and the strike was precise”, adding the attack had been launched in response to Saudi incursions into territory in northwest Yemen.
Jubail Industrial City, located on Saudi Arabia’s eastern coast, is one of the Kingdom’s major industrial and energy hubs, with extensive petrochemical, refining and gas-related infrastructure.
Explosion, fire at Saudi refinery
Earlier, Saudi Arabia said that a fire broke out at dawn on Sunday at a Saudi Aramco facility in the country’s southwestern region of Jazan and was extinguished by the company’s industrial security firefighting teams. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy said no injuries were reported in the incident.
Israel’s Channel 14 also said that the Houthis had struck a Saudi Aramco gas plant in Al Jubail.
Anadolu Agency reported that a loud blast was heard in the area, while Iranian state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), citing Arab sources, reported that gas facilities in Jubail Industrial City had been targeted and caught fire.
Second Houthi attack in a month
This is second such attack on Saudi by Houthis who said in a statement on on Telegram that it had carried out missile and drone operations against Aramco-affiliated facilities in Jazan and Yanbu on July 26.
Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree Qasim Saree said the group had targeted sensitive Aramco facilities in Jazan with ballistic missiles and drones and facilities in Yanbu with ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones.
The reported incident comes amid heightened regional tensions and follows a series of attacks and threats targeting Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure.
The latest reports also come amid renewed Houthi activity in the Red Sea region and growing concerns over attacks against Saudi energy and transport infrastructure.
With inputs from agencies
