Houthis Claim Fourth Attack On Saudi Aramco Refineries This Month

Yemen’s Houthis, or the Ansar Allah movement, released a statement Thursday announcing new military operations against Saudi Arabia which targeted an Aramco facility and an airport in Najran province, saying that forces ”carried out two military operations using two drones.”

“The first targeted a sensitive target belonging to the Saudi enemy at Najran Airport, while the second targeted Aramco in Najran. Both operations successfully achieved their objectives, by God’s grace,” the Houthi statement declared.

Najran is a mid-sized city of around 400,000 and is located in southwest Saudi Arabia, bordering Saada province in northwest Yemen. The Saudis didn’t immediately acknowledge the attack, or whether there’s been damage or casualties from the launches has not been quickly forthcoming.

The Houthis are still complaining of Saudi airspace violations, while in the midst of a “siege for siege” operation. 

The day prior the Houthis laid out three objectives imposed on the Saudis:

• The first was described as “siege for siege,” referring to Ansarallah’s declared naval restrictions against Saudi shipping.
• The second involved “striking Saudi troop buildups wherever they are,” while the third centered on “protecting Yemen’s sovereignty and confronting any enemy incursions.”
• Ansarallah stated that its naval measures had imposed a tight blockade on Saudi interests, asserting that “not a single ship can pass through.”

Aramco facilities have been targeted several times over the past weeks, since the Saudi-Houthi conflict erupted again.

Iran has of late been much more open in boasting that its Yemeni ally is doing damage on US allies in the region. 

For example, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesman Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi told the semiofficial Mehr News Agency this week that the kingdom cannot defeat the group. 

“How can Saudi Arabia, whose military capability is less than that of the Zionist regime, be able to cope with Ansar Allah and the Yemeni fighters? This is not possible,” he said.

The Thursday attack marks the fourth offensive on Aramco facilities this month…

Aramco has now been targeted by claimed Houthi drone strikes 3 times in 11 days.

Jizan refinery caught fire on August 9 (Saudi confirmed the fire, not the cause).

Najran was hit August 14. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree is now claiming a third strike on Aramco… pic.twitter.com/aaiDLuLU8X

— Jack Prandelli (@jackprandelli) August 20, 2026

Like the Iranians, the Houthis have some natural leverage given the geography of oil transit chokepoints. Al Monitor observes this week: “Traffic in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, may be on the rebound despite the Houthi blockade. The shipping data firm Kpler said 46 vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, up 53% from the day prior. Around 50 ships typically crossed before the recent escalation. 

It notes further, “Saudi Arabia has been rerouting oil exports through the Red Sea in response to the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.”