Houthi Missile Strikes on Saudi Aramco's Jazan Refinery and Jubail Gas Plant: A Timeline of Escalating Energy Threats in 2026

In response, Saudi Aramco shut down the entire Jazan refinery on July 27-28, 2026. A note from consultancy IIR, seen by Reuters, confirmed the plant was taken offline after the IGCC complex and tank farm were compromised, with tentative plans to complete repairs and restart by August 15 .

A second fire broke out at the Jazan refinery complex on August 9, 2026. Saudi Aramco's industrial firefighting teams extinguished the blaze, and the Energy Ministry confirmed no injuries were reported, though the cause of this fire was not disclosed . At the time of reporting, it was not clear whether this second fire was linked to a new attack or an operational incident.

Jubail Industrial City: Explosion and Fire at Gas Facilities

On the same day as the second Jazan fire, August 9, 2026, a loud explosion was heard in the Jubail region of eastern Saudi Arabia. Regional sources reported that gas facilities in Jubail Industrial City were targeted, with a fire breaking out at the site . Israeli media reported that Houthis were behind the attack on a gas facility in the Jubail region . News18 reported that the Saudi Aramco Berri Gas Plant in Al Jubail—one of the kingdom's largest gas processing facilities—was struck, with NASA FIRMS satellite data showing a massive fire at the site, detecting an estimated 125 MW of fire radiative power . This marked the first reported attack on Saudi energy facilities in roughly two weeks .

This was not the first time Jubail had been targeted. Earlier, on April 7, 2026, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed an attack on the Jubail petrochemical complex, the heart of Saudi Arabia's downstream sector, in retaliation for strikes on Iran's Asaluyeh plants . This was a direct Iranian attack, distinct from the Houthi campaign.

The Escalating Houthi Warning Campaign

The physical attacks on Jazan and Jubail followed a rapid and explicit escalation of Houthi threats in mid-2026. The timeline of these warnings is crucial to understanding the strategic intent behind the strikes.

• July 3, 2026: The Houthis threatened Saudi targets after accusing Riyadh of attempting to prevent an Iranian civilian aircraft from landing at Sanaa International Airport. The group warned it would target "Saudi airports and vital interests on land and sea" if violations continued .
• July 13, 2026: Houthi forces fired missiles at Saudi Arabia, breaking years of relative calm after accusing the kingdom of bombing Sanaa airport. Saudi air defenses intercepted the missiles .
• July 16, 2026: This was a pivotal moment. Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi explicitly warned that all Saudi oil facilities, airports, ports, and other vital infrastructure would be targets for the group's missiles and drones if Riyadh escalated its involvement in Yemen . He stated, "The real equation today is Sanaa airport for Riyadh airport, airports for airports, ports for ports, and blockade for blockade" .
• August 6-7, 2026: A senior Saudi official stated the kingdom expected imminent coordinated attacks from Iraqi militias in the north and Houthis in the south, under the supervision of Iran's IRGC . At the same time, Houthi forces launched at least 12 fresh missile attacks inside Yemen, killing at least 30 soldiers .

The Broader Regional Energy Crisis: Two Chokepoints Closed

The attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure did not occur in a vacuum. They were a central element of the most severe disruption to global oil chokepoints in decades, involving the simultaneous effective closure of both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Strait of Hormuz: After the United States and Israel began attacking Iran on February 28, 2026, Iran retaliated by using drones, ballistic missiles, and small attack boats to threaten and attack vessels attempting to transit the strait. Insurance became unavailable or prohibitively expensive, effectively halting most commercial shipping through the strait and cutting off a major source of global oil supply .

Bab el-Mandeb Strait (Red Sea): On July 20, 2026, the Houthis announced a maritime blockade against Saudi vessels seeking to pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea . On July 23, the Houthis attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea . The closure of Bab el-Mandeb, on top of the Hormuz blockade, meant "the world loses both a major source of supply and part of the transportation route" .

Impact on Oil Prices and Global Markets

The market reaction was swift and severe. Oil prices surged above $100 per barrel in late July, with Brent crude settling above $100 on July 23 for the first time since May . Analysts projected prices could climb above $115–$120 if flows remained disrupted . The dual blockade essentially trapped Saudi oil, as its east coast exports via the Gulf were blocked by the Hormuz closure, and its west coast exports via the Red Sea were blocked by the Houthi Bab el-Mandeb blockade.

Summary Timeline of Key Incidents

Conclusion: A Highly Fluid and Dangerous Situation

As of August 9, 2026, the situation remained highly fluid. Saudi Arabia was braced for further multi-front attacks, with two of the world's most critical energy chokepoints effectively closed. The Houthi campaign, backed by Iran, had demonstrated a clear capability and willingness to strike deep into Saudi energy infrastructure, turning the kingdom's Red Sea coast into a new front line in a broader regional conflict. The direct impact—spiking oil prices, disrupted supply chains, and a potential global energy crisis—made these events a pivotal moment in understanding the intersection of regional geopolitics and global energy security.