Riyadh Flights Halted Again After Houthi Hit on Aramco Refinery

The Houthis also targeted the Aramco refining and petrochemical company in Rabigh on the Red Sea coast. NASA FIRMS satellite imagery recorded a smoke plume stretching 80 km and fire radiative power of 126 MW at the 400,000 BPD facility, the first hit on the plant since March 2022. In response to 60 Saudi airstrikes conducted in one day, the rebel group warned international airlines to avoid all Saudi airspace except over Mecca and Medina. Saudi Arabia has since launched a military operation in the Bab el Mandeb Strait, with Turkey and Pakistan deploying troops for collective defense.