Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabian oil facilities in Yanbu and Jizan on Saturday, July 25, 2026. The strikes targeted Aramco sites in response to Saudi airstrikes on the strategic port city of Hodeida, escalating a regional conflict over vital Middle Eastern shipping routes.
The escalation began after the Saudi-led coalition struck targets in Hodeida province late Friday. While the coalition maintained it hit legitimate military targets
linked to threats against commercial vessels, Houthi-run health ministry spokesperson Anees al-Asbahi reported that the strikes hit the city’s port and state-run telecommunications corporation, injuring two people. A resident of Hodeida described the explosions as the sound of loud thunder
, expressing disbelief that the region had returned to active strikes.
Aramco Targets and the Red Sea Embargo
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthis’ military spokesperson, confirmed in a prerecorded statement that the Saturday attacks specifically targeted facilities in the Red Sea cities of Yanbu and Jizan belonging to Aramco. Evidence of the impact included a verified AFP video showing dark clouds rising above an Aramco refinery. In Yanbu, the Greek air force reported that a surface-to-air battery operated by Greek personnel successfully downed two ballistic missiles and one drone.
This kinetic exchange follows a broader Houthi strategy to choke Saudi commerce. The group has declared a maritime embargo against the kingdom, based on an equation of ‘an eye for an eye’
. This policy has already forced seven Saudi crude tankers heading to Asia to reverse course in the Red Sea. Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the Houthi-led Supreme Political Council, stated that nothing short of ending the aggression and lifting the blockade would stop the rebels from closing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Saudi-linked shipping.
The stakes for global trade are significant. Approximately 12% of world trade and a quarter of all container traffic pass through the Bab el-Mandeb narrows. By blocking this route, the Houthis are disrupting Saudi Arabia’s attempts to divert millions of barrels of oil per day from the Strait of Hormuz to the Red Sea. This disruption has contributed to soaring oil prices, with Brent crude topping $94 a barrel.
The U.S.-Iran Standoff in the Strait of Hormuz
The Houthi escalation is a flank of a larger war between the United States and Iran.
President Donald Trump has adopted a specific retaliatory doctrine for this theater. He announced that every time Iran shoots a ship in the Strait of Hormuz
, the U.S. will destroy one bridge or power plant, including those near Tehran. This strategy has already seen U.S. strikes on Iranian energy sites and a tower in a key port, aiming to sever roads between the central region and the port of Bandar Abbas. The Iranian Energy Ministry recently urged citizens in southern provinces to reduce power consumption following these hits to infrastructure.
Despite the violence, Saturday marked a rare pause in direct U.S.-Iran combat. For the first time in 14 days, the U.S. did not announce overnight strikes in Iran. Hossein Kermanpour, a spokesperson for Iran’s Health Ministry, noted on X that Iran had a peaceful night
.
Regional Toll and Diplomatic Deadlocks
Diplomatic efforts appear stalled or contradictory. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has called for diplomacy and dialogue
, arguing that there is no military solution to the issue
. However, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard continues to actively obstruct the Strait of Hormuz, reporting that they stopped four ships from transiting the chokepoint within a 24-hour window on Saturday.
The immediate focus now shifts to Washington, where Benjamin Netanyahu plans to travel to the United States this week and meet with President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday, his office said Friday.
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