Houthis say targeted Saudi oil refinery with ballistic missile

A fighter loyal to Yemen's internationally-recognised government fires a machine gun balanced on a motorcycle at a position along the frontlines against the Houthis around Mount al-Midan in Yemen's western Taiz province on October 26, 2026. The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis has launched hundreds of raids in Yemen backing the internationally recognised government since the start of the renewed fighting in the long-running civil war. The conflict, dormant for years, erupted again in July and intensified after the Houthis seized the country's Red Sea coast last month. — AFP pic

First Published: Tuesday, 27 Oct 2026 7:36 PM MYT

SANAA, Oct 27 — Yemen’s Houthis today said they targeted Saudi Arabia’s biggest oil refinery with a ballistic missile, following weeks of disruptive attacks against the world’s top crude exporter.

“The Yemeni Armed Forces were able to target the Ras Tanura refinery in the Eastern Province with a ballistic missile,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree posted on X, saying the strike caused “massive fires”.

A resident in the nearby city of Al Khobar told AFP he heard explosions around dawn and received a text message alert.

“We got the alert on the mobile and then heard a very loud bang,” the resident said.

The Ras Tanura facility along Saudi Arabia’s eastern Gulf coast is home to one of the largest refineries in the Middle East and a cornerstone of the kingdom’s energy sector.

The complex has a capacity of 550,000 barrels per day. It has been repeatedly targeted by Iranian strikes, including a drone attack in early March that forced a partial shutdown of the refinery. — AFP