Houthis Again Target Saudi Heartland: Huge Oil Facility Attacked Again

The Houthis claim they attacked the Aramco refinery in Jazan, days after a broad assault on government forces in Yemen killed at least 17 soldiers. The Saudi-led coalition also accused them of shelling in Najran that wounded 11 civilians.

The Houthis in Yemen claimed this morning (Sunday) that they attacked the refinery of Saudi oil company Aramco in Jazan, according to the militia's military spokesman. If the claim is verified, it marks further escalation in the regional conflict, days after the Houthis launched a broad attack on internationally recognized government forces in Yemen. The claim of the attack in Jazan comes amid a significant increase in fighting in Yemen. Last Thursday, the Yemeni army announced that the Iran-backed Houthi militia attacked government forces, raising fears of a renewed flare-up of the country's long-running civil war. According to a New York Times report, the Houthis targeted bases and units of the army deployed in the provinces of Marib and Hadramawt. Both provinces are considered oil-rich and are under government control. The fighting has taken a heavy toll. Yemen's state news agency, citing a statement from the Arab coalition, reported that at least 17 military personnel were killed in the attack. The escalation has not remained within Yemen's borders. The Saudi-led military coalition, which backs Yemen's official government, also accused the Houthis of a separate shelling on Saudi territory. According to the report, 11 civilians were wounded in the border area of Najran. Now, with the Houthis' claim that they also attacked the Aramco refinery in Jazan, fears are again growing that the conflict in Yemen will spill deeper into Saudi territory and bring back to the forefront the threat to the kingdom's energy infrastructure.