Houthi attack suspected at Saudi gas facility in Jubail; Aramco Jazan fire extinguished

Reports suggest that a gas facility situated in Saudi Arabia's Jubail region was targeted by Houthi rebels, according to Israeli media on Sunday. However, Saudi authorities have not officially confirmed this link to the Houthis. A loud explosion occurred in the Jubail Industrial City, a significant energy and petrochemical center along Saudi Arabia's eastern coastline.

Various news agencies, including Channel 14 and Anadolu Agency, reported the blast, while Iran's state broadcaster IRIB, citing Arab sources, claimed that gas facilities in Jubail Industrial City had been hit and caught fire. Yet, these reports could not be independently confirmed, leaving the cause of the explosion in question.

In another incident, a fire broke out early Sunday at a Saudi Aramco facility in Jazan, located in the southwestern part of the country. The Saudi Ministry of Energy confirmed that Aramco's industrial security firefighting teams managed to extinguish the blaze without any injuries. The authority is currently handling the necessary procedures to address the incident. The ministry did not provide information about the cause of the fire or link it to an attack.

The Jazan region, situated near Yemen on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast, hosts a major Aramco refinery and petrochemical complex, playing a crucial role in the kingdom's energy infrastructure. These events have heightened concerns about attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure. The Houthis had previously claimed responsibility for missile and drone attacks on Aramco-linked facilities in Jazan and Yanbu in July. However, Saudi authorities have yet to confirm that the recent fire in Jazan was caused by Houthi involvement.

These reports of energy infrastructure attacks came shortly after Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement amid escalating tensions in West Asia. The agreement aims to bolster collective deterrence against any act of aggression and foster enhanced defense cooperation among the three nations, focusing on regional peace, stability, and security.