Yemen's Ansarollah (Houthi) rebels have stated they will not halt military operations targeting Saudi Arabia until the Saudi blockade is fully lifted. As missile and drone attacks, as well as airstrikes, continue between the two sides, the informal ceasefire maintained since 2022 is once again in jeopardy.

According to Iranian state media on the 28th, the Yemeni side asserted that it would not stop its military response as long as Saudi Arabia does not end its attacks and blockade. The Yemeni military announced that it had attacked key facilities of the Saudi state oil company Aramco and the oil transport infrastructure connecting the eastern oil-producing regions to the Yanbu port on the Red Sea coast.

The Yemeni side explained that the attack was a retaliatory measure against Saudi drone incursions into Yemeni airspace and attacks on Sanaa International Airport. Previously, Ansarollah's Supreme Leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi had also warned that if Saudi Arabia expands its military intervention, key infrastructure such as oil facilities and airports would become targets of missile and drone attacks. The Ansarollah government's Foreign Ministry, based in Sanaa, also defined Saudi airspace violations as an infringement on Yemen's sovereignty. Iranian state media reported that the Yemeni Foreign Ministry conveyed its position that it has the right to respond under international law and will firmly respond to any further incursions.

In response, the Saudi side intercepted some missiles and drones, and the Saudi-led coalition carried out airstrikes on Ansarollah military facilities inside Yemen as a countermeasure. Saudi Arabia considers Yemen's missile and drone attacks, as well as threats to blockade the Red Sea, as hostile acts threatening regional security and energy transport. The coalition warned that it would not hesitate to take necessary military measures if Ansarollah continues its attacks.

The intensification of clashes between the two sides is also directly impacting the crude oil supply chain. Due to Yemen's attacks, operations at the Saudi Jizan refinery have been disrupted. With Red Sea coastal oil facilities and the East-West pipeline included in the range of attacks, the uncertainty surrounding the transportation of crude oil and petroleum products is growing further.

[This article was written with the assistance of AI.]