Yemen’s Houthis claim attack on Aramco oil facility in Saudi Arabia, and other Middle East news

On Sunday, Yemen's Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack on an Aramco oil facility in southwestern Saudi Arabia, marking the latest strike by the Iranian-backed rebels against the kingdom. Meanwhile, Iran has issued new demands regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, while the Pentagon is urging the U.S. defense industry to expedite weapon production.

Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesperson, stated that the attack on the Aramco refinery in the city of Jazan was carried out using a drone, in retaliation for Saudi drones breaching Yemen's airspace in the provinces of Hajjah and Saada. Early reports indicated that the Saudi Energy Ministry confirmed a fire at the Aramco refinery facility, though the cause was not specified.

This attack is part of a series of missile and drone assaults targeting Saudi Arabia and its shipping in the Red Sea, potentially leading to a resurgence in Yemen's civil war, which ended more than four years after a 2022 truce.

Iran has demanded that the U.S. "correct its behavior" before the Strait of Hormuz opens, including lifting the naval blockade of Iranian ports and withdrawing its military presence from the region. Iran's Supreme National Security Council issued a statement calling for the U.S. to permanently end the war with Iran and its allies in the region, as well as to release frozen assets and fully compensate Iran for war damage. The U.S. has not yet commented on these demands.

In addition, the Pentagon is prioritizing the acceleration of weapon production to meet the demands of the ongoing conflict with Iran. According to a Pentagon spokesperson, the department is actively focused on boosting munitions acquisitions to provide "the weapons our warfighters need at the pace the threat demands." The U.S. military has used up more of its limited stockpiles of advanced missile interceptors in the ongoing war with Iran, as reported by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.