Gaza Herald – Yemen’s Ansar Allah group, known as the Houthis, announced on Tuesday that it had successfully struck Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura oil refinery, described as the kingdom’s largest facility. Military spokesperson Yahya Saree stated that a ballistic missile ignited a fire at the Gulf-side installation located west of the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi authorities have not yet confirmed the incident. Bloomberg News reported earlier that day that local forces had contained a fire near the terminal.
The Houthis have intensified strikes on Saudi territory since Riyadh attacked Sanaa’s international airport in July, breaking a ceasefire and opening another front in the wider conflict involving US-Israeli operations against Iran. The group has previously targeted Yanbu, another major export port for the kingdom, which handles most of its oil shipments alongside Ras Tanura.
Simultaneously, Saudi-backed Yemeni forces reported carrying out 1,276 operations against Houthi positions in the past twenty-four hours as part of their “Dawn of Yemen” offensive. Colonel Majed al-Nuzaili stated these actions neutralized approximately 382 Houthi commanders and fighters. He added that military assets destroyed or damaged included 140 vehicles, heavy weapons, arms depots, command centers, and supply routes across several fronts.
In response to rising security risks, the US Embassy in Riyadh ordered non-emergency government employees and their families to leave the kingdom, an directive first issued on October 23. The embassy warned via X about potential attacks on airports, airspace closures, flight cancellations, and broader travel disruptions.
In Iran, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei met with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. Rezaei emphasized that security in West Asia must originate from within the region, preventing foreign intervention. Abdollah Haji Sadeghi, representing the supreme leader to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, warned that further US attacks would draw a harsher and more devastating response, accusing adversaries of using psychological warfare to create despair.
US President Donald Trump defended the war during a rally in Mississippi, repeating false claims that Iran started the conflict. He dismissed previous ceasefires as waste of time and noted his preparedness for higher oil prices. Meanwhile, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi called for a Gulf non-aggression pact with Iran, criticizing the current regional system built on false perceptions of antagonism between Arabs and Persians.
This report was produced in the Gaza Herald newsroom.
