Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched a drone attack on an Aramco oil refinery in Jazan, southern Saudi Arabia, according to rebel media on Tuesday.
The attack against the facility on the Red Sea coast involved multiple uncrewed aerial vehicles, the rebel-run Saba news agency reported, citing a military source. The outlet stated that the strike was carried out in retaliation for alleged Saudi violations of Yemen's airspace.
Houthi forces had previously claimed another strike against the same Aramco installation last week, as operations escalate against Riyadh and the allied Yemeni government.
Regional escalation and aviation dispute
Tensions between the warring parties have mounted following the collapse last month of a ceasefire originally established in 2022. The breakdown marked a fresh escalation in regional friction linked to the broader conflict between the United States and Iran.
Hostilities flared after Saudi Arabia reportedly carried out strikes against the Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport. The bombardment followed an incident in which Iran dispatched an aircraft carrying a rebel delegation to Sanaa without authorization from Saudi authorities, who control Yemen's airspace.
Saudi Aramco is Saudi Arabia's state-owned energy giant and one of the world's largest oil producers, making its infrastructure in Jazan a prominent target along the Red Sea shipping corridor.
Maritime blockades and ground combat
Following the airport incident, Houthi commanders declared a blockade on Saudi vessels passing through the Red Sea and launched repeated strikes against Saudi infrastructure and shipping.
The Red Sea has become a vital transit route for global oil shipments following Iran's effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on the eastern side of the Arabian Peninsula.
Fighting has also intensified on the ground within Yemen. On August 6, Houthi fighters launched their deadliest ground offensive in years, killing 58 government soldiers, primarily in the central province of Marib.
Humanitarian warnings and UN appeal
The escalating violence prompted United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk to issue an urgent appeal on Monday. Turk called on all warring factions in Yemen to cease all attacks immediately, warning that the country risks sliding back into full-scale war.
The United Nations Human Rights Office monitors international legal compliance and civilian protection in conflict zones worldwide, documenting the human toll of prolonged warfare.
Yemen's civil war began in 2014 when Houthi forces seized control of the capital, Sanaa. The conflict has since claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and plunged the poorest nation on the Arabian Peninsula into a severe humanitarian crisis.
