Houthis launch new attack on Riyadh oil refinery as Saudis hit back with counter-strikes on Yemen as conflict hiking world oil prices intensifies

Thick black smoke and flames erupted around an oil refinery in the Saudi capital as the Houthis launched a fresh attack, furthering fears of escalating oil prices around the world.Hours after the facility was struck on Saturday morning, the Saudi military launched counter-strikes on the Iran-backed group in Yemen.The oil refinery belongs to state-owned oil giant Aramco, which is south of Riyadh. Neither the Houthis nor Saudi authorities have yet commented on the incident. The circumstances remained unclear, though the Houthis have claimed several attacks on facilities belonging to Aramco, majority-owned by the Saudi state, in recent months.Firefighters were seen attempting to extinguish the enormous flames at the energy giant's Riyadh refinery, located to the south of the capital, while ambulances and police vehicles were stationed nearby. The Houthis have recently launched several attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia in retaliation for Riyadh backing the internationally recognised government in Yemen's ongoing civil war.Experts say this latest incident could drive another spike in global energy prices. Petrol and diesel have already risen rapidly, while natural gas - used for heating homes and generating electricity - has almost doubled in the UK and Europe since July. Thick black smoke and flames erupted around the Aramco oil refinery in Riyadh as the Houthis launched a fresh attack, furthering fears of escalating oil prices around the world The oil refinery belongs to Saudi state-owned oil giant Aramco, which is south of Riyadh Experts say the latest Houthi strike on a Saudi oil refinery could drive another spike in global energy prices, which have been rising amid simmering tensions in the Middle EastNotably, the Houthi strike came just a day after the G7 nations announced the release of diesel and crude stocks to ease surging fuel prices amid the simmering tensions. The G7 - comprising France, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States - will deploy 100 million barrels of reserves over the next four months 'with a frontloaded substantial diesel release within the first 20 days,' the group's leaders said in a joint statement on Friday. Within hours of the oil refinery being set alight on Saturday, Houthi rebels reported dozens of strikes on Yemen's capital, Sanaa. The foes have traded attacks since the Houthis seized all of Yemen's Red Sea coast and took control of the Bab al-Mandab strait in a lightning offensive.Houthi-affiliated channel Al-Masirah TV reported that 'Saudi enemy aircraft' hit Sanaa with 26 strikes, after earlier reporting 'Saudi aggression' against the Yemeni capital, without providing details on the targets or casualties.In Sanaa, eyewitnesses reported hearing loud explosions and seeing warplanes firing missiles on the city.The Houthis' Al-Masirah channel also reported missile strikes on the telecommunications network in Yemen's northwestern governorate of Saada, one of the group's strongholds.It comes after the Houthis said Saudi Arabia bombed the Yemeni capital itself on Thursday night for the first time since renewed fighting broke out between the two sides in July.After several years of calm, Yemen was plunged back into civil war, pitting the Iran-backed Houthis, who control most of northwest Yemen including Sanaa, against Yemen's internationally recognised government.The government, based in the city of Aden, controls much of the country's south and east - a region that is larger, but much less populated.Hostilities were reignited after four years of a fragile truce when Iran sent a plane to Sanaa carrying a Houthi delegation.The flight did not seek authorisation from Saudi Arabia, contravening a practice in place for a decade.Riyadh retaliated with strikes on Sanaa airport, and in response the Houthis attacked Saudi territory for the first time since 2022.Since then, fighting has intensified with the Houthis launching a lightning offensive in which they seized control of coastal regions along the Bab al-Mandab strait.They have also struck multiple Saudi targets, including oil infrastructure and the capital Riyadh while also announcing a naval blockade on Saudi shipping in the Red Sea.The renewed fighting has worsened the already appalling humanitarian conditions in Yemen, one of the world's poorest countries, with the World Food Programme warning on Friday that three-quarters of the population was unable to meet its basic food needs.Fighting in recent days has centred on Taiz, where dozens of combatants were reported killed on Friday by sources on both sides.The Houthis said 55 of their fighters had been killed while government sources reported 26 troops had died.The battle for Taiz is taking place on several fronts, including highlands overlooking coastal areas recently seized by the Houthis.While the Houthis have conquered swathes of territory, they have yet to wrest control of Taiz city, which is Yemen's third-largest after Sanaa and Aden.On Friday, the Houthis said Saudi Arabia had launched 94 strikes against areas under their control in the past 24 hours.Saudi authorities meanwhile reported a Houthi projectile had damaged a school in the city of Najran near the Yemen border.Riyadh has reportedly requested help from the United States, a call so far rebuffed by US President Donald Trump.On Saturday US media outlet Axios reported that top cabinet members in the Trump administration met the day before to discuss Yemen as well as the Iran conflict, citing three US officials. The meeting was not officially announced.