Archive · 18 Aug 2026
Houthis claim drone strike on Saudi Aramco refinery in Jizan
There is a group called the Houthis who control big parts of a country called Yemen.
They say they sent flying machines called drones to hit a big oil factory in Saudi Arabia.
The factory belongs to a company named Aramco.
The Houthis say they did this because Saudi Arabia broke rules by flying over parts of Yemen.
The Saudi government did not say whether the attack really happened or if anything was damaged.
The Houthis also say they shot missiles at Saudi boats in the sea.
These attacks are near a busy water route called the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, where many ships pass.
Yemen has been at war for more than ten years, and the fighting is heating up again.
A truce from 2022 had made things calmer, but now tensions are rising.
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed a drone attack on an Aramco oil refinery in the Jizan region of southern Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis said the attack was a response to what they described as violations of Yemeni airspace over Saada and Hajjah provinces.
Saudi authorities gave no immediate confirmation of the reported attack, and any damage or casualties were not immediately known.
Separately, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed ballistic missiles hit or set fire to a Saudi military landing ship and four patrol boats off the coast of Mokha.
The claims come amid a Houthi-declared maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia and rising tensions around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a key global shipping route.
- Who
- Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed the attacks, citing their military via the Houthi-run Saba news agency and spokesperson Yahya Saree.
- What
- A claimed drone attack on an Aramco oil refinery in southern Saudi Arabia, plus a claimed ballistic missile attack on a Saudi military landing ship and four patrol boats.
- When
- On Tuesday, according to the report; the exact date was not specified in the article.
- Where
- The Jizan region of southern Saudi Arabia, and off the coast of Mokha near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea.
- Why
- The Houthis said the attacks were in response to what they described as violations of Yemeni airspace over Saada and Hajjah, amid rising tensions and a declared maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia.
Houthi perspective
Saudi authorities and independent confirmation
Whether the attacks hit their targets
Houthi perspective
The Houthis claim the drones hit the Aramco refinery accurately and that ballistic missiles hit or set fire to a Saudi military landing ship and four patrol boats.
Saudi authorities and independent confirmation
Saudi authorities gave no immediate confirmation of the reported refinery attack, and there was no independent confirmation of damage, casualties, or the naval strike claims.
Cause of the escalation
Houthi perspective
The Houthis say the attacks respond to violations of Yemeni airspace over Saada and Hajjah and accuse Saudi Arabia of supporting military operations against their territory.
Saudi authorities and independent confirmation
Saudi Arabia backs the internationally recognised Yemeni government in a civil war that has lasted more than a decade, and repeated attacks raise concerns over the security of critical energy assets and global shipping.
- Attacker
- Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels
- Target
- Aramco oil refinery in the Jizan region, southern Saudi Arabia
- Attack type
- Drones; separately, ballistic missiles against naval vessels
- Claimed motive
- Response to alleged violations of Yemeni airspace over Saada and Hajjah
- Confirmation status
- No immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities; no independent confirmation of damage or casualties
- Other claimed targets
- Saudi military landing ship and four patrol boats off the coast of Mokha
- Strategic context
- Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a key maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden
- Background
- Yemen civil war spanning more than a decade; 2022 truce had reduced fighting but tensions have risen