Attacks Target Saudi Energy Facilities, Trigger Fires and Disrupt Operations
Saudi Energy Ministry says several facilities in the Kingdom’s south were hit, with injuries reported and emergency teams deployed to contain fires
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Several energy sector facilities in southern Saudi Arabia were targeted on Tuesday, causing fires and temporarily disrupting some operations, the Saudi Ministry of Energy said, as a renewed escalation involving Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis raises fresh concerns over the security of the Kingdom’s energy infrastructure.
An official source at the Saudi Ministry of Energy on Tuesday said relevant authorities immediately began responding to the attacks and taking necessary measures to contain their effects.
The attacks caused fires at several locations, according to the ministry, which said specialized field teams were working to contain the blazes, secure the affected sites and assess the extent of the damage.
Several Saudi citizens and residents were also injured, with the ministry saying they sustained injuries of varying severity and were receiving medical treatment.
The ministry did not identify the facilities targeted or specify who was responsible for the attacks in its statement. However, Houthi-run media later reported that the group had launched strikes against targets in southern Saudi Arabia, including Abha International Airport, King Khalid Air Base and facilities belonging to Saudi state oil giant Aramco in Abha and Jizan.
Saudi authorities said they were continuing efforts to address the consequences of the attacks and ensure the safety of personnel and facilities, while maintaining the continuity of operations in accordance with established emergency plans.
The latest incidents come amid a sharp escalation in fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces. The Houthis have launched an offensive along Yemen’s western Red Sea coast in an effort to expand their territorial control toward the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, according to regional reports.
The escalation has increasingly threatened energy infrastructure and maritime routes across the region. Jizan, near Saudi Arabia’s border with Yemen, hosts a major Aramco refinery with a processing capacity of about 400,000 barrels per day, making the area a particularly important part of the Kingdom’s energy infrastructure.
The attacks are also unfolding against the backdrop of wider disruption to regional energy and shipping routes. The Strait of Hormuz, another critical oil chokepoint, has faced severe restrictions amid the broader US-Iran conflict, increasing the strategic importance of alternative routes and infrastructure on the Red Sea.
The latest escalation has already contributed to volatility in global oil markets. Brent crude has moved close to $100 a barrel as investors assess the risk of further disruptions to energy production and shipping across the Gulf and Red Sea.
Saudi Arabia has previously faced attacks on its energy infrastructure, including major incidents involving Aramco facilities. The Kingdom has sought to strengthen the resilience of its energy network and maintain uninterrupted supplies to domestic and international markets despite regional security threats.
The renewed attacks underscore the growing risk that the conflict in Yemen could spill further into Saudi territory and threaten critical energy infrastructure at a time when global oil markets are already facing heightened supply uncertainty.
On the ground in Yemen, fighting has intensified across several fronts as Saudi-backed government forces launch a counteroffensive against the Houthis.
Clashes have intensified in al-Bayda and al-Jawf, which serves as a key gateway toward Sanaa, while government-aligned forces have also reported fighting and advances around Taiz and Hodeidah.
The Houthis, meanwhile, are pressing an offensive along the western coast toward the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, seeking to expand their control of territory near the vital Red Sea shipping route.
The renewed fighting marks the most serious escalation since the UN-brokered truce of 2022 and has already left more than 300 people dead in recent days, according to reports.