Houthis fire missiles at Saudi Aramco sites in first such strikes since 2019

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militants launched missiles and drones at Saudi Aramco oil facilities in the Red Sea port cities of Jizan and Yanbu over the weekend, marking a sharp escalation in the broader Middle East conflict and pushing Brent crude prices near $98 a barrel — their highest level in nearly two months.

Attacks Target Strategic Infrastructure

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group targeted Aramco installations on Saturday in retaliation for Saudi-led coalition strikes on the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah on Friday. Al Jazeera reported a second wave of attacks on Sunday morning targeting the same facilities. The Washington Post reported these were the first Houthi strikes on Saudi oil infrastructure since 2019.aljazeera+2

The attacks came after a week in which the Houthis also claimed strikes on two Saudi oil tankers, the ENCELA and LAYLIA, transiting the Red Sea. A tanker sustained a fire after being hit by an "unknown projectile," according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations monitoring body. A separate Saudi vessel, the NCC Masa, sustained minor hull damage in a Friday attack, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.thenationalnews+1

Pause in U.S.-Iran Hostilities Holds

The escalation on the Saudi-Houthi front came as skies over Iran remained quiet for a second consecutive night, with no U.S. strikes reported since Friday. The Associated Press reported that Iranian Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour posted on X that "Iran had a peaceful night". France 24 reported that President Trump told journalists he had "not yet decided" on launching a larger-scale military operation against Iran, saying Tehran was getting "serious" in talks.france24+2

The U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports, reimposed on July 14 after an interim deal collapsed, remained in force throughout the weekend as American warships continued to enforce restrictions on vessel traffic to and from Iranian coastal areas.axios+2

Oil Prices and Energy Security Concerns

Brent crude rose to around $98.70 a barrel on Thursday according to Financial Times data, reflecting a roughly 30 percent increase over the past month amid the broader U.S.-Iran conflict. The Houthi attacks on Saturday and Sunday added fresh supply disruption fears given the proximity of the targeted facilities to the Bab al-Mandab strait, a critical chokepoint for global energy shipments.tradingeconomics+2

The National News reported that the attacks have raised fears of a renewed full-scale war in Yemen, with Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure and Red Sea shipping lanes now under direct threat from a group that has declared its own naval blockade of the waterway.thenationalnews