On Saturday, 25th July 2026, Yemen’s Houthi movement announced that they had carried out missile and drone attacks against Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s largest oil company. This action was a form of retaliation for the Saudi-led coalition airstrikes on the port city of Hodeidah, according to Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea.

Sarea detailed that the initial operation targeted ‘sensitive’ Aramco facilities in Jazan, utilizing ‘dozens of ballistic missiles and drones.’ This was followed by a second operation against the oil company’s facilities in Yanbu. Both of these operations were claimed to have achieved their objectives with ‘precise and direct’ impacts. As of yet, no immediate comment has been made by Saudi authorities on the matter.

This comes in the wake of the Saudi-led coalition’s overnight airstrikes against military targets in Yemen’s Hodeidah province. The coalition, which has been intervening in the Yemen war since 2015 to support the internationally recognized government, stated that it carried out a ‘proportionate military response’ against legitimate Houthi military targets that posed a threat to commercial shipping. The coalition denied Houthi claims that the Hodeidah port was attacked.

The Houthis, however, maintain that the attacks impacted not only the city of Hodeidah but also its port and Kamaran Island, which they called a violation of Yemen’s sovereignty. Sarea also claimed that Houthi air defenses successfully intercepted coalition aircraft during the attacks, preventing further strikes.

The Houthi spokesman reinforced that their maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia remains active, framing it as a response to what the Houthis describe as Saudi Arabia’s prolonged blockade against Yemen. He warned of the Houthi’s readiness to escalate military operations and tensions in the upcoming hours and days, aligning with their declared strategy of ‘blockade for blockade and escalation for escalation.’

Source: EFE