Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry said a fire at a facility belonging to state oil giant Aramco has been extinguished. The incident occurred early Sunday morning in the coastal city of Jizan, according to a ministry statement on platform X.
The ministry affirmed no casualties were recorded and said "relevant authorities are completing the necessary procedures to address the incident." The cause of the fire has not been disclosed.
Meanwhile, Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack on the facility, which lies near the border on the Red Sea coast. Military spokesman for the Houthi-led administration in the capital Sanaa, Yahya Saree, wrote on X that the group "successfully targeted the Aramco refinery in Jizan with drones, and the strike was precise."
Saree said the attack was in response to Saudi Arabia's "violation of the airspace of Saada and Hajjah provinces" with drones. Riyadh has not yet commented on this claim.
This is one of a series of Houthi claims targeting Saudi oil facilities. Last month, the group also claimed attacks on Aramco sites in Jizan and oil infrastructure in Yanbu, a key export gateway on Saudi Arabia's west coast.
Aramco CEO Amin Nasser said recent attacks have caused some production disruptions but operations can be quickly restored. He stressed that the attacks have not had a significant impact on the company's operations or finances.
The attacks raise tensions around the 2022 ceasefire in the war between the Houthis and the internationally recognized Yemeni government, which Saudi Arabia backs. The Houthis, who have controlled Sanaa since 2014, also announced a blockade of Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea last month, threatening shipping through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
Saudi officials also accuse Iran-linked armed groups in Iraq of launching attacks on the kingdom's oil facilities. On Friday, Riyadh signed defense pacts with Turkey and Pakistan amid rising regional tensions from the US-Israeli war with Iran.
