Ras Tanura: Houthi strike claims hit Saudi oil hub

The Ras Tanura refinery in Saudi Arabia processes 550,000 barrels of oil per day. On Tuesday, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis claimed a ballistic missile struck the complex, the largest in the kingdom.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree stated that the impact caused a fire at the facility. The site includes a shipping terminal and sits on the Gulf, west of the Strait of Hormuz. Saree also claimed a ballistic missile hit the Saudi Ministry of Defense and a drone targeted Abha International Airport.

Saudi authorities did not confirm the strikes. Bloomberg News cited a person familiar with the matter who said Saudi Arabia had contained a fire near the Ras Tanura terminal. Nearly all Saudi oil exports flow through two main ports: Ras Tanura and Yanbu on the Red Sea. The Houthis have attacked both locations in the past. Ras Tanura was shut for a period in the early months of the Iran war as a precaution.

The Houthis also reported attacks on two military transport jets at Najran Airport and an airbase in Khamis Mushait. On Tuesday afternoon, civil defense authorities briefly issued an air raid alert in Riyadh. The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched toward the capital. The Houthis claimed they repelled an advance by Saudi-backed forces near the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces pushed the Houthis out of coastal areas in September, loosening the group's grip on the Red Sea shipping route. Al Masirah TV, a Houthi-affiliated channel, reported Saudi strikes on the Yemeni city of Mocha. There was no immediate Saudi confirmation of those strikes.

The fighting has broken a 2022 UN-brokered truce between the coalition and the Houthis, who control the Yemeni capital Sanaa. On Monday, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan met Iranian officials in Tehran to reduce regional tensions. The same day, the Egyptian parliament authorized its military to help defend Saudi Arabia if requested, as Egypt considers joining a mutual defence pact with the three nations.

The conflict has disrupted oil supplies eight months after the start of the Iran war. The Houthis continue to target infrastructure in both the Gulf and the Red Sea.