Yemen’s Houthis say they attacked Saudi Aramco refinery, imperiling strained truce

Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed on Thursday they attacked an Aramco refinery in Saudi Arabia's Jizan region with two drones, in response to Saudi violations of Yemeni airspace. UN officials warned of a return to large-scale war and a humanitarian crisis, as more than half of Yemen's population suffers acute food insecurity.

Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed on Thursday that they attacked an Aramco refinery in the Jizan region of southern Saudi Arabia using two drones, according to the group's Saba news agency. The attack was described as a response to Saudi violations of Yemeni airspace and sovereignty in the Saada and Hajjah governorates. Saudi Arabia did not immediately comment. UN officials warned that the Yemeni civil war could return in full force amid near-famine conditions. Hans Grundberg, the UN special envoy, said the country faces its most serious threat of a return to large-scale war since the 2022 truce. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said more than half of Yemen's population suffers acute food insecurity, with 6 million people at emergency levels. Both called for the release of 73 UN personnel detained by the Houthis. The 2022 truce has appeared to collapse over the past month as regional tensions flared.