Houthis strike Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu and Jizan with missiles and drones, escalating Red Sea tensions
Yemen's Houthi rebels launched ballistic missiles and drones at Aramco installations in the Saudi cities of Yanbu and Jizan early Saturday, retaliating for Saudi-led coalition airstrikes on the port of Hodeida the previous night.
The attacks on Aramco
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced on Saturday that the group targeted "sensitive" Aramco facilities in Jizan with dozens of ballistic missiles and drones, and carried out a second operation against the oil giant's infrastructure in Yanbu. He claimed both strikes achieved "precise and direct" impacts. Saudi authorities did not immediately comment, but the kingdom's Civil Defence reported that air-raid sirens sounded repeatedly in Yanbu and Jizan during the early hours of Saturday.
Saree framed the attacks as a direct answer to Saudi aggression. He declared that "siege is being met with siege, and violence with violence," and warned that the response would not stop there.
No doubt will be entertained about responding, extending these measures, and even increasing them.
Retaliation for the Hodeida bombings
Houthi forces had struck two Saudi tankers in the Red Sea earlier this week. In response, the Saudi-led coalition bombed Yemen's strategic port city of Hodeida on Friday night. Houthi health ministry spokesman Anees al-Asbahi said the strikes hit the city's port and the state telecommunications company, leaving two people wounded. The coalition denied targeting civilian infrastructure, stating it had hit "legitimate military targets" in Hodeida province "linked to threats against commercial vessels in the Red Sea".
- Houthis attack two Saudi tankers in the Red Sea.
- Saudi-led coalition bombs Hodeida, hitting the port and telecoms; two wounded.
- Houthis claim missile and drone strikes on Aramco facilities in Yanbu and Jizan.
The Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint
As tensions mount, the Houthis have threatened to close the Bab el-Mandeb strait to ships associated with Saudi Arabia. This narrow passage at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is one of the world's most critical maritime corridors.
- Overall trade
- 12 %
- Container traffic
- 25 %
About 12 percent of global trade and a quarter of all container traffic move through Bab el-Mandeb, making any disruption a direct threat to energy shipments and supply chains linking Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The Houthi warning followed the coalition airstrikes and the group's own attacks on Saudi tankers, amplifying fears of a longer-term closure.
A wider regional conflict
The exchanges fit into a broader pattern of escalation across the Middle East. The United States has carried out nearly two weeks of consecutive strikes against Iranian targets, while Iranian forces have hit US positions in the region. Although no attacks were reported on Iranian soil during Friday night, tensions over the Strait of Hormuz remain high. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqhchi called for "diplomacy and dialogue," but the Houthi campaign opens yet another front in a region already saturated with proxy warfare.
Saree insisted that the "continued Saudi violation of Yemeni sovereignty and territorial integrity" had left no alternative to force. Saudi Arabia's air-defence systems, including a Greek-deployed Patriot battery, reportedly intercepted the incoming projectiles, and the kingdom later withdrew public alerts in the south. No damage assessments or casualty figures from the Aramco sites were available immediately after the attacks.
