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A petroleum facility in Jazan, Jazan Province, Saudi Arabia, on July 26 (local time). / Reuters-Yonhap

Just two days after Saudi Arabia signed a mutual defense pact with Turkey and Pakistan, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels struck Saudi state oil company Aramco's Jazan refinery.

According to Reuters on the 9th (local time), Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy said a fire broke out at the Jazan refinery but caused no casualties, adding that authorities have begun cleanup efforts.

Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarea claimed on X (formerly Twitter) that the group used drones to strike the Jazan refinery facility.

In a separate statement, Sarea said the group also carried out a missile and drone attack on Yemen's Mokha port, a strategically important location on the Red Sea coast.

He said the operation was a large-scale precision strike targeting a Saudi troop buildup and an arms depot in the Mokha area, claiming it was in response to Saudi Arabia continuing to reinforce troops, replenish weapons and equipment, and attack Yemen's western coast and Taiz province.

Yemen's Ministry of Transportation said in a statement that the attack on Mokha port killed seven people and caused significant damage to port infrastructure.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed the "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement" in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on the 7th. The pact includes a mutual defense clause treating an armed attack on one signatory as collective aggression, but neither Pakistan nor Turkey has issued an official statement regarding this latest attack.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry had earlier said the defense pact is not aimed at any specific country, and that in the event of a contingency, the method and level of support would be determined through consultation.

                                                                                                           Lee Jeong-eun