The Financial Times is reporting that Saudi Aramco’s Jizan refinery has been attacked for the second time in just over a month. The extent of the damage is still being assessed, and there are currently no reports of casualties.

The attack comes amid a significant escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis since July. Saudi airstrikes on Houthi positions and the Houthis’ subsequent attacks on Saudi territory have increasingly focused on energy infrastructure and maritime traffic.

The Houthis declared a blockade of Saudi linked shipping in the Red Sea in July and have claimed attacks against Saudi oil tankers, military targets and energy facilities. On August 9, the group claimed an attack on the Jizan refinery, where a fire was reported and later extinguished.

The escalation has also spread into Yemen, with Saudi backed forces and the Houthis engaged in increasingly heavy fighting along the western coast. Recent clashes have raised concerns that the fragile 2022 ceasefire could be collapsing altogether.

A second apparent strike on Jizan would mark another step in the widening Houthi-Saudi confrontation, particularly as the group continues to target Saudi energy infrastructure and shipping.

Source: https://www.ft.com/content/9ffb0fb3-51f6-4aa8-9270-a949196bf441?syn-25a6b1a6=1

Sweden has authorized the purchase the U.S. M142 HIMARS, with the deal reported at approximately $729 million.

The decision follows a U.S. State Department approval in March for a potential $930 million Foreign Military Sale to Sweden covering up to 20 HIMARS launchers, GMLRS and Extended-Range GMLRS ammunition, and 20 ATACMS pods.

The March approval was authorization for a potential sale, not a completed Swedish purchase. Sweden's decision now moves the procurement forward.

The final number of launchers and ammunition being purchased by Sweden appears to be smaller than the maximum package approved by the United States. The exact composition of the final order has not yet been fully disclosed.

HIMARS will give Sweden a long-range precision fires capability it currently does not have, complementing its existing Archer artillery systems.

Consistent with reports that Saudi Aramco’s Jizan refinery was targeted in a strike earlier today, NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) detected three thermal anomalies in the facility’s storage and distribution area.

The three heat signatures were detected at approximately 4:40 a.m. UTC. FIRMS detects thermal anomalies from satellite observations, but the data does not by itself establish what caused them.

Today’s incident would mark the second reported attack on the Jizan facility in just over a month. The refinery, which has a capacity of approximately 400,000 barrels per day, was also targeted by the Houthis in August.

The repeated targeting comes amid a broader escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, with attacks increasingly affecting Saudi energy infrastructure and shipping in the Red Sea. The Houthis have not yet publicly claimed responsibility for today’s strike, according to the Financial Times.

As the U.S.-Canada tariff and trade spate continues, U.S. President Donald J. Trump has called for a boycott of Bombardier in the U.S., with the president citing their blocking of Gulfstream in Canada as the reasoning for his statement.

According to a release from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), since the resumption of the U.S. blockade of vessels traveling to and from Iranian ports, 94 vessels have been redirected, 3 disabled to ensure compliance, and 2 have been boarded.

Earlier today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave an update on talks with White House Special Envoy to the the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, saying that discussions surrounding a Winter package, additional technological cooperation, and air defense needs were had.

According to Axios, citing an interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president is optimistic on the opportunity for diplomacy between Ukraine and Russia before the winter months come, with Zelensky saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin could be pushed to sit at the negotiating table by U.S. President Donald J. Trump, regardless of his willingness to do so. Per Zelensky, the U.S. currently supports an additional winter package for Ukraine that would likely include air defense and energy assistance. Talks were reportedly more centered on ‘unblocking’ Russo-Ukrainian diplomatic channels than anything else, with potential next steps on how to move forward also being discussed. However, Zelensky rightly voiced his skepticism as he highlighted how Russia’s actions differ from what they’ve signaled to U.S. negotiators.

President Donald J. Trump has announced on Truth Social declaring that "Oil prices will drop precipitously..when we WIN the war with Iran."

According to a release from U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), at the direction of SOUTHCOM, Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere (JTF-WHEM) interdicted a vessel in the Eastern Pacific Ocean that was operating as a refueling station for illicit at-sea drug trafficking operations. Per the release, the vessel was operating for the Los Choneros designated narco-terrorist organization. After apprehending the people onboard and turning them over to the Ecuadorian authorities, the vessel was sunk.

Tensions between the Houthis in Yemen and Saudi Arabia are rapidly escalating following a major Houthi missile and drone attack on southern Saudi Arabia that injured at least 73 people, including women and children.

NASA Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) data shows new thermal anomalies at the Saudi Aramco refinery in Jazan.

The Houthis claimed the attacks were retaliation for 121 Saudi airstrikes against Houthi controlled areas of Yemen over the previous three days. The group said its strikes targeted Aramco facilities in Jazan, Abha and Najran, as well as Khamis Mushait Air Base.

The escalation comes after some of the heaviest fighting in Yemen since the fragile 2022 truce, with Saudi-backed Yemeni forces conducting a growing number of airstrikes against Houthi positions.

The cycle of Saudi airstrikes and Houthi attacks on Saudi territory and energy infrastructure now risks developing into a broader Saudi/Houthi conflict, with potentially significant implications for regional energy markets and Red Sea shipping.

UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced sanctions today against Israeli settlers, following a rash of attacks and actions fomented by the settlers in recent weeks in the West Bank. Export and import controls will be placed on goods originating from Israeli settlements that they deem to be illegal. Companies that supply and aid in the construction of settlements will also fall under these sanctions.

According to Iranian news outlets, the IRGC is now claiming to have shot down a U.S. MQ-9 “Reaper” Medium-Altitude Unmanned Aerial Vehicle over Bandar Abbas, Iran.

Romania’s intelligence service, SRI, has issued a temporary shelter in place order due to falling objects.

According to the Kremlin Press Pool, and Russian news outlets, U.S. President Donald J. Trump has held his expected call today with Russian President Vladimir Putin, following a weekend of trilateral Ukraine-U.S.-Russia negotiations.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov gave a statement to Russian press outlets on the call between U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin today. Aside from regurgitating a number of Kremlin talking points, per Ushakov, the two spoke on the potential for future detainee transfers between the two nations.

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on 36 entities tied to Iran’s aviation sector, adding them to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.

The designations target 27 Iranian airlines and aviation related entities, as well as foreign companies accused of providing cargo, logistics, procurement and other support to Iran’s aviation industry. Treasury says the sector is used by Tehran to move weapons, personnel and illicit cargo.

The action is part of the Trump administration’s broader “Operation Economic Outcast” campaign to further isolate Iran economically.

Iran’s IRGC has claimed to have captured a U.S. autonomous undersea vehicle (AUV) today in the Strait of Hormuz. Notably, the system appears to be an Anduril Dive-LD, which has been delivered to the Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Squadron 1 (UUVRON-1), but none have been confirmed to be in the Fifth Fleet AOR. If true, it would confirm their use in the AOR.