Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

Mid‑July 2026 saw an escalation of Houthi missile and drone strikes against Saudi Arabia. On 13 July missiles targeted the area around Abha International Airport, prompting a Gulf Cooperation Council condemnation and Houthi claims of retaliation for a Saudi airstrike on Sana’a airport. On 24 July Saudi‑operated Patriot air‑defence units, staffed in part by Greek personnel, intercepted two ballistic missiles and a drone aimed at the Yanbu oil refinery, triggering civil‑defence alerts for Yanbu and Jizan. The same day coalition aircraft struck Yemeni ports Hodeidah and Kamaran, damaging telecoms infrastructure and injuring a civilian. On 25 July Houthi forces launched a coordinated missile and drone assault on a key Saudi Aramco facility in Jizan, causing explosions, fires, temporary power outages and spreading disruption to the nearby Red Sea port of Yanbu. Saudi civil‑defence issued emergency alerts for both provinces. The rebels framed the strike as retaliation for the earlier coalition raids and as part of an Iran‑backed campaign, highlighting the vulnerability of world‑leading oil infrastructure and the risk of a broader regional confrontation. The coalition responded with further air‑defence activations and strikes on Houthi positions, while U.S. forces reported disabling a commercial tanker attempting to breach its naval blockade in the Oman Sea. These incidents kept Brent crude above $100 per barrel, drew United Nations condemnation and heightened concerns over regional security and global oil supplies. The July 25 assaults also hit the Yanbu port facilities, prompting Saudi coalition aircraft to strike Houthi missile launchers and weapons depots in Yemen’s Marib and al‑Jawf provinces. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported intercepting four vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring the risk of wider disruption to oil transit routes. U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington remained in dialogue with Tehran while U.S. forces stayed on alert.