Houthi rebels strike Saudi oil facilities after coalition bombing of Yemeni port
Yemen's Houthi rebels launched missiles and drones at Saudi Arabian oil facilities on Saturday, July 25, 2026, according to a statement from the group's military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree. The attack targeted Aramco facilities in the Red Sea cities of Yanbu and Jizan, in response to Saudi-led coalition airstrikes on the Yemeni port city of Hodeida.
Saudi Arabia's civil defence confirmed that alerts sounded multiple times early Saturday in both cities, but the Kingdom has not provided further comment. No casualties or damage have been reported so far.
The Saudi-led coalition, which has been fighting the Houthis in Yemen since 2015, said its strikes on Hodeida province late Friday targeted 'legitimate military goals' linked to threats against commercial vessels in the Red Sea. The Houthi-run Health Ministry reported that two people were injured in the strikes on the port and the state-run telecommunications corporation.
The escalation comes amid heightened tensions in the region over vital shipping routes. The Houthis have warned they will close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Saudi-linked shipping. This strait, at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is a crucial chokepoint for global trade, with about 12% of world traffic passing through it.
Earlier this week, the Houthis targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. In response, the Saudi-led coalition bombed Hodeida, a key entry point for humanitarian aid into Yemen.
The conflict is set against a broader backdrop of US-Iran tensions over the Strait of Hormuz. The United States has accused Iran of attacking ships in the strait and has carried out strikes on Iranian targets. Iran has retaliated by firing at US-allied Gulf Arab states. However, no new US strikes were reported overnight on Saturday, marking the first night without such attacks in nearly two weeks.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called for 'diplomacy and dialogue' to resolve the Yemen conflict without 'military confrontations,' in an interview published Saturday in the state-run Iran newspaper.
The war in Yemen has caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with millions facing famine. The broader regional conflict has resulted in thousands of deaths, including over 3,400 in Iran, 18 US service members, 24 civilians in Israel, and more than 4,000 in Lebanon, according to official figures.
