Houthis claim strike on Saudi Aramco facility as Yemen fighting intensifies

Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for an attack on a major Saudi Aramco oil facility near Riyadh, utilizing ballistic missiles and drones. The blaze at the refinery, located in the capital area, prompted a response from firefighters. Saudi authorities and Aramco had not yet confirmed the source of the fire. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree asserted that the attack resulted in fires at the targeted facilities, serving as retaliation for Saudi air strikes on Houthi-controlled regions, such as Sanaa.

Saree reported approximately 60 air attacks in the preceding 24 hours. Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces confirmed air strikes in Sanaa and Saada. Intensified fighting also occurred around Taiz, where Houthi forces carried out coordinated assaults on government positions along a 15-kilometre front. Tragically, a 14-day-old baby lost their life in a residential area of Dhubab due to shelling.

Government-aligned forces reported 97 attacks against Houthi positions in Taiz and Lahij, alongside another 257 operations across various areas. However, Al Jazeera could not independently verify the military's casualty claims. Meanwhile, pressure on Iran persisted. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the U.S. blockade around the Strait of Hormuz remained firm and warned that President Donald Trump retained options if Iran did not alter its behavior.

Iran's rial plummeted to a record low of nearly 2.7 million per dollar on the free market. In response, the Iranian state television announced that the central bank had begun selling up to $2 billion to stabilize the currency, which has lost over half of its value over the past year. Russia also extended an olive branch, offering to mediate between Washington and Tehran.

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev confirmed that Moscow was prepared to assist in ending the conflict and would not compromise its relationship with Iran.