Houthis strike Saudi oil facilities, shoot down drone in escalating tensions: VIDEO

The Iran-backed Houthis claimed on Saturday (July 25) that they targeted Saudi Aramco facilities in Jazan and Yanbu with missiles and drones, in response to the Saudi-led strikes on Houthi-held areas along the Red Sea coast of Yemen. However, Saudi Arabia has not yet confirmed the attack on facilities despite several videos and images.

Jazan is home to a major oil refinery, while Yanbu functions as a key export point on the Red Sea, enabling Saudi crude to avoid the Strait of Hormuz altogether. Given that Hormuz is already strained, targeting Yanbu puts at risk the very alternative route Saudi Arabia has come to rely on for keeping oil exports flowing.

By striking Yanbu, the Houthis are essentially widening the conflict beyond the Persian Gulf into the Red Sea, putting a second critical energy corridor in jeopardy. Yahya Saree cautioned that the group's operations could grow in scale and intensity "in the coming hours and days." These strikes come on the heels of the first Saudi-led airstrikes against the Houthis since the 2022 ceasefire, heightening concerns that the broader Iran conflict may be reigniting the Saudi-Houthi confrontation in Yemen.

Houthi shoots down Saudi drone

Later in the day, Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed that they shot down a Saudi drone over the northwest of Yemen. It comes a day after the Yemeni group claimed it attacked oil facilities in the Gulf kingdom. The Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group "successfully shot down a Turkish-made... armed reconnaissance drone belonging to the Saudi enemy while it was conducting hostile operations".

Meanwhile, Iran stated on Sunday (July 26) that it has stopped retaliatory attacks in the region after the United States halted its strikes on the country for the past two nights. "These attacks continued until two nights ago, but over the past two nights the Americans have stopped their attacks," said army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia. "Since... our strategy has essentially been retaliatory, we have also halted our retaliatory operations."