Houthi missile and drone attacks hit Saudi Aramco oil sites

Yemen's Houthi rebels launched missile and drone attacks on major Saudi Arabian oil facilities on Saturday, July 25, marking a significant escalation in the regional conflict and opening a new front in the wider tensions between the United States and Iran. The Iran-backed group said it targeted installations operated by the state oil giant Aramco in the Red Sea coastal cities of Yanbu and Jizan, with the strikes representing the first such attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure since a 2022 truce.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced the operations in a video statement, framing them as retaliation for Saudi-led coalition airstrikes on Houthi positions in the Yemeni port city of Hodeida the previous day. He said the group fired dozens of ballistic missiles and drones at the Aramco facilities. Videos verified by international news agencies showed plumes of dark smoke rising above a refinery in Jizan, with satellite data indicating heat signatures consistent with fires. Saudi Arabia's civil defense issued multiple alerts for both cities, though the kingdom did not provide an immediate official comment on the extent of the damage. The Greek air force, which operates a...