Yemen’s Houthi movement has claimed responsibility for attacks on Saudi military targets and the Ras Tanura oil complex, heightening regional tensions even as diplomatic initiatives seek to broker a ceasefire.
A blaze erupted near the strategic Ras Tanura oil export terminal on Tuesday but was subsequently brought under control, Bloomberg and Reuters reported.
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Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group had launched a ballistic missile at the refinery, setting off a fire at the facility.
Riyadh, however, has not acknowledged a direct hit on the oil complex. Saudi authorities said their air defence systems shot down three ballistic missiles aimed at the kingdom’s eastern region.
Ras Tanura, operated by state-owned Saudi Aramco, is one of the world’s largest oil export terminals and houses the kingdom’s biggest refinery, with a processing capacity of 550,000 barrels per day. The complex includes oil storage facilities and a shipping terminal critical to Saudi crude exports.
Bloomberg, citing a person familiar with the matter, reported that the fire broke out near facilities operated by Aramco.
The reported attack comes amid mounting threats to regional energy infrastructure and renewed concerns over disruptions to global oil supplies.
The Houthis also claimed attacks on two military transport aircraft at Najran Airport and an airbase in Khamis Mushait, Reuters reported. Saudi authorities had not immediately confirmed the claims.
Separately, civil defence authorities briefly issued an air raid alert in Riyadh on Tuesday afternoon.
The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched towards the capital.
The Houthis also claimed to have repelled an advance by Saudi-backed forces near the southern approaches to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic maritime passage connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
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Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah television reported Saudi strikes on the Yemeni city of Mocha, although Saudi Arabia had not confirmed the reported attacks.
The latest escalation threatens to complicate oil shipments at a time when Saudi Arabia’s export infrastructure has assumed greater importance following disruptions to traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
After the Iran conflict began in February, Iran blocked much of the shipping traffic through the strategic waterway, prompting Aramco to redirect a larger share of its exports through the Red Sea port of Yanbu, according to Bloomberg.
Saudi Arabia’s oil exports largely move through two major terminals: Ras Tanura on the Gulf coast and Yanbu on the Red Sea.
Disruptions at either facility could complicate export logistics and increase uncertainty in global energy markets.
Ras Tanura was temporarily shut during the early months of the Iran war as a precaution, Reuters reported.
The latest fighting has also undermined the United Nations-brokered truce agreed in 2022 between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis, who control Sanaa and large parts of northern Yemen.
Diplomatic efforts to contain the conflict are continuing. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan met Iranian officials in Tehran on Monday to discuss ways to reduce regional tensions, Reuters reported.
Egypt is also considering joining the three countries in a mutual defence arrangement. Its Parliament authorised the military on Monday to assist in defending Saudi Arabia if requested.
The Houthis have fought the Saudi-led coalition since 2015 and have repeatedly targeted Saudi oil facilities.
In 2019, attacks on Aramco’s Abqaiq and Khurais facilities temporarily disrupted more than 5% of global oil supply.
In March 2021, the group also targeted Ras Tanura with drones and missiles. Saudi Arabia said at the time that a tank farm had been attacked, with no casualties reported.
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