Saudi Arabia reports drone fire from Iraq – Houthis claim attacks on oil infrastructure

Reaction from Riyadh and demands on Iraq

According to Saudi accounts, several drones that had been aimed at targets in the capital, Riyadh, and at oil facilities were intercepted and destroyed. The Saudi Defense Ministry said several drones from Iraq had been intercepted. The ministry initially provided no further information on possible damage or casualties. It also did not initially comment on any possible link to the later Houthi statement.

In addition, dozens of missiles and drones reportedly attacked facilities of the state oil company Saudi Aramco. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. The Houthi militia had previously claimed responsibility for drone attacks on Saudi territory; only on Saturday, the Houthi militia in Yemen had claimed an attack on Saudi Arabia in response to Saudi strikes on its positions.

The Houthi militia described the attacks as retaliation for the intrusion of Saudi drones into Yemeni airspace. The Iran-backed militia recently announced a blockade of Saudi ports on the Red Sea. Following the blockade announcement, the Houthis said they had attacked two oil tankers in the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia had struck targets in Houthi-controlled territory.

Background: Conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis

The Foreign Ministry in Riyadh condemned the attack and called on the Iraqi government to take all necessary steps to prevent Iraqi territory from being used as a launchpad for attacks. The backdrop is a conflict in which the United States has paused its attacks. At the same time, the shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz for the transport of Saudi oil has been blocked by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

Saudi Arabia came under repeated fire in the early weeks of the Iran war. The attacks came both from pro-Iranian groups in Iraq and from Iran itself. The current fire fits into this escalation phase, in which both drone and missile attacks on Saudi territory and on facilities of oil company Saudi Aramco have been reported.

Blockade in the Red Sea and the role of Iran

The conflict in Yemen between the Houthi militia and Saudi Arabia has been simmering for years. The Houthis control large parts of northern Yemen, while a Saudi-led coalition supports the internationally recognized government. The expansion of attacks to oil infrastructure and the capital underscores the growing reach of the conflict.

Reported from Riyadh; the report was broadcast on Deutschlandfunk on July 27, 2026. Further developments – in particular possible retaliatory strikes by Saudi Arabia and the question of damage to oil infrastructure – remained open at the time of the report.