Houthis Claim Responsibility for Fire at Aramco Facility in Riyadh

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for a fire reported at an Aramco oil refinery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but the allegation has not been independently confirmed.

Houthi military spokesperson Brigadier Yahya Saree said the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out an operation targeting Aramco in the Saudi capital with several ballistic missiles and drones. He said the action was conducted in response to what the Houthis described as an unjust siege and aggressive airstrikes launched from Saudi territory.

In a statement posted on social media, Saree said the strikes were accurate and direct and that fires broke out at the targeted sites. He also said the Houthis would continue targeting Saudi military mobilisations until what he called the aggression ended and the siege on Yemen was lifted.

Coalition disputes Houthi account

The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s government described the Houthi statement as misleading. The supplied information does not establish whether missiles or drones caused the Riyadh fire, and it does not provide details about damage or casualties at the Aramco facility.

The coalition also said it conducted operations against Houthi militia early Sunday and claimed that hundreds of fighters were killed. That figure has not been independently verified in the available material.

The reported incident would represent the latest in a series of disputed attacks involving Saudi facilities if the Houthi claim is confirmed. The Houthis also claimed an attack the previous month on an Aramco facility in Yanbu. Riyadh said the missiles involved in that incident had been intercepted and that no damage was reported.

Wider escalation in Yemen

The latest claims come amid a broader escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Iranian-backed Houthis. The source describes renewed violence in Yemen in recent weeks as having killed hundreds of people and displaced tens of thousands.

The Houthis captured the strategic city of Mokha and several Red Sea islands the previous month, extending their reach toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The source described those gains as the group’s biggest land advance in years and said they ended a 2022 ceasefire that had largely halted major fighting in Yemen.

The conflict is part of Yemen’s 12-year civil war. While the Houthi account links the Riyadh fire to the wider confrontation, the available information does not independently confirm responsibility for the incident or indicate the full impact on Aramco operations.