Houthi attack suspected at Saudi gas facility in Jubail; Aramco Jazan fire extinguished

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels were behind a reported attack on a gas facility in Saudi Arabia’s Jubail region, Israeli media reported on Sunday, amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.

However, there was no immediate official confirmation from Saudi authorities linking the reported blast to the Houthis.A loud explosion was reported in Jubail Industrial City, a major energy and petrochemical hub on Saudi Arabia’s eastern coast. Israel’s Channel 14 reported that the Houthis had targeted a Saudi Aramco gas facility in Al Jubail, ANI reported.Anadolu Agency also reported that a loud blast was heard in the area, while Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB, citing Arab sources, reported that gas facilities in Jubail Industrial City had been targeted and caught fire.The reports could not be independently verified, and the cause of the reported Jubail blast remained unclear.Fire reported at Aramco facility in JazanSeparately, a fire broke out early Sunday at a Saudi Aramco facility in Jazan in southwestern Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Ministry of Energy said the fire was extinguished by Aramco’s industrial security firefighting teams and that no one was injured."Industrial Security Firefighting Teams affiliated with Saudi Aramco extinguished a fire that broke out at dawn today, Sunday, corresponding to 26/2/1448 AH, in one of the facilities belonging to the Saudi Aramco Refinery in Jazan, with no injuries," the ministry said in a post on X.

"The competent authorities are completing the necessary procedures to deal with the incident," it added.The ministry did not specify what caused the fire and did not say that it was linked to an attack.Jazan, located near Yemen on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast, is home to a major Aramco refinery and petrochemical complex and is an important part of the kingdom’s energy infrastructure.The latest developments came amid renewed concerns over attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure.

The Houthis claimed last month that they had carried out missile and drone attacks targeting Aramco-linked facilities in Jazan and Yanbu.Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on July 27 that the group had targeted Aramco facilities in Jazan with ballistic missiles and drones, and facilities in Yanbu with ballistic and cruise missiles and drones.However, Saudi authorities have not confirmed that the latest fire in Jazan was caused by a Houthi attack.The reports of attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure came days after Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed the "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement" amid escalating tensions across West Asia."The Agreement is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression, and stipulates that any armed attack against any one of the three States shall be regarded as an attack against them all. It further provides for the enhancement of all aspects of defence cooperation among the three States," the summit statement said.The agreement establishes a framework for closer defence and military cooperation among the three countries, with a broader focus on regional peace, stability and security.