Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they targeted a Saudi oil refinery on Thursday in the latest sign of escalation between the two countries. 

What happened: The Houthi-run Saba news agency reported that rebels hit the Aramco refinery in southwest Saudi Arabia’s Jazan province. The agency reported that the strike was in response to the “Saudi enemy's violation of Yemeni airspace” in Sa’ada and Hajjah, both located in western Yemen. 

Saudi authorities did not immediately comment on Thursday’s Houthi strike. Saba reported a Saudi attack on Sa’ada on Saturday and said that a funeral was held for four “martyrs” in Hajjah the same day. The Houthis also claimed to have carried out a strike on the Jazan refinery on Sunday. 

The targeting of the Aramco site was one of several security incidents in Yemen on Thursday. Earlier, the Yemeni military said it destroyed three Houthi boats carrying explosives in the Red Sea. The pro-government channel Al-Joumhouriya reported that two members of the Nation Shield forces were killed in a Houthi drone attack in the central Hadhramaut province. The forces are one of several armed groups that fight on behalf of the Saudi-backed government.