Yemen's armed forces said they targeted crude transfer points linking eastern Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea port of Yanbu with drones, in a claim disputed by Riyadh, which said it intercepted drones launched from Iraq.

WHAT: Saudi Arabia said its air defences destroyed several drones aimed at oil facilities in the Eastern Province and Riyadh, while Yemen's armed forces claimed responsibility for striking crude infrastructure feeding Yanbu.

WHY: Yemen's forces cast the attack as retaliation for alleged Saudi drone incursions, whereas Riyadh blamed Iran-backed militias operating from Iraqi territory.

WHAT NEXT: Saudi Arabia said it reserved the right to respond at a time and place of its choosing, with damage from the attacks unconfirmed.

Yemen's armed forces said they targeted crude transfer points used to move oil from the east of Saudi Arabia to Yanbu, on the Red Sea coast, with a number of drones, spokesman Yahya Saree said, according to Al Masirah on July 27.

Saree said the operation called "sacred Jihad" or holy war was a response to what he described as Saudi drone violations of Yemeni airspace. Yemen's armed forces are run by the Houthi movement, which is not recognised as Yemen's government by foreign states but has controlled the capital Sanaa and much of the north for several years.

Saudi Arabia gave a different account. Defence ministry spokesman Turki Al-Maliki said air defences intercepted and destroyed several drones that attempted to target oil facilities in the Eastern Province and the Riyadh region, and that the attempted strikes were launched from Iraqi territory by Iran-backed militias.

The foreign ministry issued a separate statement condemning the attack and blaming Iran-backed groups in Iraq. Al-Maliki said the kingdom reserved the right to respond at a time and place of its choosing.

No casualties or material damage were officially reported. Unverified social-media footage and satellite imagery pointed to fires at Saudi oil sites, but this was not confirmed by the authorities.

The competing claims followed Houthi missile and drone strikes on Aramco facilities at Jizan and Yanbu on July 25, the group's first direct attack on Saudi oil infrastructure since 2022. The attacks came two days after the United States suspended a two-week campaign of airstrikes against Iran.

Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iraq all reported drone attacks the same day. Yanbu has gained strategic importance since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz earlier this year forced Saudi Arabia to reroute crude across the country via its East-West Pipeline to Red Sea export terminals.