The Houthis say they hit Saudi Arabia's largest refinery with a missile

The war in the Middle East has opened another front. Yemen's Houthis say that on Tuesday, October 27, 2026 they hit the Ras Tanura refinery, the largest in Saudi Arabia, with a ballistic missile.

What the Houthis say

Their military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said the missile caused "massive fires" at the refinery, which sits on the Persian Gulf coast.

Saudi Arabia hasn't confirmed the attack. According to Bloomberg, citing a source, the Saudis contained a fire near the Ras Tanura oil terminal that same day.

Ras Tanura can refine about 550,000 barrels of oil a day and is one of the largest refineries in the Middle East.

Why Ras Tanura matters

Saudi Arabia ships almost all its oil to the world through two ports: Ras Tanura, on the Persian Gulf, and Yanbu, on the Red Sea. The Houthis had already attacked Yanbu. If these ports stop working, oil gets more expensive across the planet.

Who the Houthis are

They are an armed group that controls much of Yemen, Saudi Arabia's neighbor, and is backed by Iran. Since July, when Saudi Arabia bombed Sanaa airport and the truce broke down, their attacks on Saudi territory have been increasing.

A war that keeps growing

All this is happening within the US and Israeli war against Iran, which began this year. A representative of Iran's supreme leader warned that if there are more US attacks, the response will be "harsher and more devastating".

Meanwhile, the US embassy in Riyadh asked non-essential staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, because of the risk of attacks on airports. Several countries in the region, including Oman, are calling for a pact to stop the war.