Houthis Strike Saudi Aramco Sites in Jizan, Yanbu
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- Houthi rebels fired missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia on Saturday, claiming retaliation for Saudi attacks on Yemen's coastal city of Hodeida.
- Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the group's spokesperson, announced two operations targeting "sensitive Aramco-affiliated facilities" in Jizan with dozens of ballistic missiles and drones, and in Yanbu with ballistic and cruise missiles and drones.
- Saree claimed both strikes "successfully achieved their objectives thanks to Allah Almighty, with accurate and direct strikes."
- Houthi attacks on two Saudi tankers in the Red Sea on Thursday pushed international benchmark Brent crude oil to a future trading price of around $101 a barrel.
- President Trump warned Thursday that the U.S. would "hold Iran responsible" for any Houthi attacks on ships, calling the Houthis a "Surrogate and/or Proxy of Iran" and threatening "major military punishment."
- The escalation comes as oil markets are already strained by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz during U.S.-Iran crossfire, with the Houthis also threatening a Red Sea maritime blockade this week.
Why it matters: The Houthis just hit Saudi Arabia's crown-jewel Aramco-linked infrastructure two days after Trump warned he'd hold Iran accountable for any Houthi ship attacks — a direct test of that threat. With Brent already at ~$101/barrel after Thursday's tanker strikes and the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed, any U.S. response now risks widening a regional war that is already squeezing global oil supply.
