Houthis Hit Saudi Aramco's Jazan Refinery Again as Fire Breaks Out Sunday

A fire broke out before dawn Sunday at Saudi Aramco's Jazan refinery on the kingdom's Red Sea coast. Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry says firefighting crews put it out fast. No injuries, the ministry said in a post on X, though it gave no cause.

Yemen's Houthi rebels didn't wait long to take credit. Military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group hit the Aramco refinery with a drone strike he called "precise," according to Gulf News. He said it was payback for Saudi drone flights over Yemen's Saada and Hajjah provinces.

In under two weeks, the Jazan refinery has been targeted twice. The National reports an alleged Houthi attack on July 27 damaged the facility's gasification complex and tank farm. The refinery processes 400,000 barrels of oil a day and matters strategically because it lets Aramco ship refined products out through the Red Sea without going anywhere near the Strait of Hormuz, according to ZeroHedge.

The same day, the Houthis also hit the port of Mokha near the Bab al-Mandeb strait, according to The National. Yemen's Transport Minister Mohsen Al Omari told the state news agency Saba the strike involved at least 25 projectiles and killed seven people, including civilians and military personnel. A Yemeni military spokesman said an explosive-laden boat was used and that the Houthis also tried, and failed, to knock out a solar plant powering the port. The Houthis said that attack targeted Saudi-backed troops and weapons depots.