Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline caught fire after an attack on Monday, but the kingdom says operations were not affected. No group had immediately claimed responsibility for the strike, which follows a string of Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure.
Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline caught fire after an attack on Monday, the kingdom said. The strike is the latest to threaten vital energy infrastructure since Riyadh's conflict with Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen reignited over the summer.
Emergency response teams extinguished the fire in the Madinah region in western Saudi Arabia, and the energy ministry reported no impact on operations. No fatalities or injuries were reported.
Pipeline carries exports after Hormuz shutdown
The Saudi statement did not identify the attacker. The pipeline links the kingdom's oil-rich east with the Red Sea to the west, and it became a critical outlet for crude exports after the US-Israeli war with Iran in effect shut down the Strait of Hormuz.
Neither Iraqi militias nor the Houthis immediately claimed responsibility. However, the Houthis previously said they targeted a pumping station along the pipeline last month. Saudi Arabia, the world's largest crude oil exporter, had to temporarily shut the pipeline in September after a drone attack by pro-Iranian militias based in Iraq.
Houthis escalate against Riyadh
The pipeline strike comes one day after the Houthis claimed an attack on Saudi Aramco's administrative offices in Riyadh's King Abdullah Financial District. The energy ministry said the Aramco Tower sustained minor damage, with no injuries or fatalities.
Last month, the Houthis hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh several times. The Saudi-led coalition said the militants attacked the airport 20 times in 10 days in early October, killing at least 17 people and injuring more than 300.
The airport attacks forced Saudi Arabia to cancel or postpone several major events, including its Future Investment Initiative conference. The war restarted in July after a 2022 truce collapsed, roiling energy markets.
Source: Financial Times
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