Saudi Oil Pipeline Attacked as Yemen Government Launches Offensive
Saudi Aramco reports the East-West pipeline is operational after an attack on a pumping station, while the Yemeni government launches a campaign to recapture Houthi territory.
An attack targeted a pumping station in Khurais, east of Riyadh, on the Saudi East-West oil pipeline over the weekend. While initial reports from energy sector sources indicated significant damage and a temporary halt in operations, subsequent updates confirm the 745-mile pipeline is operating normally. The infrastructure is critical for bypassing the Strait of Hormuz during the ongoing war with Iran, maintaining a capacity of seven million barrels a day.
Simultaneously, the Government of Yemen launched a full-scale military campaign to restore state authority and recapture Houthi-held territory, including strategic positions in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Houthi official Hizam al-Assad dismissed reports of government victories as media exaggerations, claiming instead that Saudi-backed forces are fleeing the battlefield.
Amid these regional instabilities, Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser warned at a conference in London that global crude and refined fuel supplies will remain tight. Nasser stated that replenishing global inventories while meeting current demand could take up to two years.
