Houthis attack Jizan Aramco refinery, Saudi Arabia says fire out

2026-08-09

Fire breaks out in Saudi south

The Iran-aligned Houthi group in Yemen said on the 9th that it had attacked a refinery of state oil company Saudi Aramco in Jizan, southern Saudi Arabia, with drones. Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry said the same day that a fire had broken out at the refinery.

The Houthis said the attack was retaliation for Saudi strikes. According to the Energy Ministry, the fire has already been extinguished and no injuries have been reported. A fire also broke out at the Jizan refinery in late July, and the Houthis claimed involvement.

Retaliatory attacks continue

Turkey's Anadolu Agency and others reported on the 9th that a gas facility in eastern Saudi Arabia was also attacked and a fire broke out. However, no link to a Houthi attack has been confirmed.

Retaliatory attacks between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis continue. The Saudi-backed Yemeni interim government's forces said on the 8th that they had carried out a military operation targeting the Houthis, describing it as retaliation for the Houthi attack on the 6th.

In mid-July, Yemen's interim government also attacked the airport in Sanaa, the Houthi-held capital, to prevent Iranian aircraft from landing. In response, the Houthis declared they would impose a 'maritime blockade' on Saudi Arabia with the Red Sea in mind, and have attacked Saudi tankers.

Concern over impact on Middle East talks

If tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis drag on, they could also affect talks between the United States and Iran on ending the fighting. The two countries remain deeply divided over the Strait of Hormuz, and sporadic tit-for-tat retaliation has also occurred.

Iran is also stepping up its demands on the United States. Zolghadr, secretary-general of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), said on the 8th that opening the Strait of Hormuz would require an end to US attacks on Iran and the payment of compensation for damage caused by US strikes, Iranian media reported.

Iran is continuing talks with Oman over management of the Strait of Hormuz. Zolghadr reiterated his view that even if talks make progress, they will not immediately lead to the opening of the strait. It is seen as difficult for the US side to accept Iran's demands, and the outlook for free passage through the strait remains unclear.

Enjoyed this article? Share it with your network!