Houthis: Ballistic Missile Struck Ras Tanura Refinery and Caused Fire
The Houthis announced that a ballistic missile struck Aramco's Ras Tanura refinery and caused a fire, while Saudi Arabia has not confirmed the strike or the extent of the damage.
Military spokesman for the Houthi group Yahya Sarea announced Tuesday that a ballistic missile struck the Ras Tanura refinery belonging to Saudi Aramco, the largest refinery in the Kingdom, causing a fire inside the complex.
Saudi authorities did not immediately confirm the strike or the extent of damage. Bloomberg quoted an informed source as saying that Saudi Arabia contained a fire near the port of Ras Tanura in the early hours of the day. The "Oilprice" website reported that the extent of damage and its impact on the complex, which has a capacity of 550,000 barrels per day, as well as on Saudi exports, remains unknown.
The Ras Tanura complex includes a refinery and an export port on the Gulf west of the Strait of Hormuz, and had been closed briefly in the early months of the Iranian war as a precautionary measure. Most of Saudi Arabia's oil exports pass through Ras Tanura and Yanbu on the Red Sea, the two main export ports, both of which have been targeted by the Houthis in the past.
The Houthis have escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia since September, opening a new front in the broader war. Authorities in Riyadh issued a brief air raid warning on Tuesday afternoon, while the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis toward Riyadh. In the same context, officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan—among the Mecca Pact countries—met with Iranian officials in Tehran on Monday in an effort to de-escalate the conflict.
What do these terms mean?
Ballistic missile: A missile launched on an arced trajectory that follows a predetermined path after launch, used to strike distant targets at high speed.
Oil refinery: An industrial facility that converts crude oil into products such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.
Mecca Pact: A regional defense alliance led by Saudi Arabia that includes countries such as Turkey and Pakistan, with Egypt considering joining after its parliament authorized the military to assist Saudi Arabia if requested.
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