Yemen’s Houthis attack Saudi refinery after kingdom signs defence pact
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have attacked Saudi Aramco’s Jazan refinery, they said on Sunday, two days after the kingdom signed a defence pact with Turkey and Pakistan in response to growing regional instability from the US-Israeli war on Iran. The alliance with Sunni Muslim US allies, Turkey and Pakistan, is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and…
On Sunday, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels launched an attack on Saudi Aramco's Jazan refinery, the Saudi energy ministry confirmed. This comes two days after Saudi Arabia pledged defense cooperation with Turkey and Pakistan amid escalating regional tensions following the US and Israeli military strikes on Iran. The three allies joined forces to bolster collective defense, pledging to regard an attack on any one of them as an attack on all.
The Houthi alliance with the US-backed Turkey and Pakistan aims to deter aggression in the region. The Saudi-led defense pact does not specify whether Turkey or Pakistan would participate in any retaliatory actions against the Houthis. Last month, the Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, accusing Riyadh of besieging them, a claim denied by Saudi authorities.
A drone strike by the Houthi rebels targeted the refinery, causing a fire that was extinguished without any reported casualties. In the past, the Houthis have also struck Aramco facilities in Jazan and Yanbu on the Red Sea. The Houthis also launched missile and drone strikes on Yemen's Red Sea port city of Mocha, which is strategically important due to its proximity to the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a critical passage linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
Military officials said air defenses were engaging drones targeted at the port's commercial quay and storage facilities. The Houthis' latest attack killed seven people and caused significant damage to the port's infrastructure, disrupting commercial and maritime activities in the region. Iran and its allied Shiite Muslim groups have been engaging in a conflict with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, blockading their energy shipments since the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.
Disruptions to energy supplies have impacted global markets. No response has been received from the governments of Turkey and Pakistan regarding the implications of the refinery attack.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
