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Oil flows through Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline were halted again after a fresh attack on the critical infrastructure, a source working in the kingdom’s energy sector told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Monday.
“The East-West pipeline was attacked again yesterday,” the source said. “A pumping station east of Riyadh in Khurais. It wasn’t targeted before. There was big damage and the pipeline stopped again.”
The report came a day after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis said they targeted sites in Saudi Arabia belonging to state oil giant Aramco, including infrastructure in Khurais.
The East-West pipeline has been targeted several times since war erupted across the Middle East following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, shut the East-West pipeline last month after attacks on oil facilities originating in Iraq, home to pro-Iran armed groups.
The pipeline runs about 1,200 kilometers (745.65 miles) between Saudi Arabia’s main oil fields in the east and the Yanbu terminal on the Red Sea.
Flows remained halted from Sept. 11 to Sept. 22, according to commodity-tracking platform Kpler.
The pipeline has become essential for Riyadh’s oil exports since Iran began blockading the Strait of Hormuz at the start of the Middle East war, choking Saudi Arabia’s main export route.
The Houthis said Sunday they carried out missile and drone strikes on Aramco facilities in Riyadh and the Khurais area, east of the capital, causing fires at the targeted sites.
In a video statement posted on X, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group carried out two military operations targeting the company.
He claimed both operations “successfully achieved their objectives,” with precise hits causing large fires at the targeted locations.
There was no immediate comment from Saudi authorities or Aramco on the Houthi claim.
Saree said the operations were a response to Saudi attacks, alleging that the kingdom had carried out 50 airstrikes and missile attacks over the previous 12 hours on Sanaa and the provinces of Al-Jawf, Taiz, Amran, Hajjah and Saada.
He also claimed that Saudi airstrikes and missile attacks had totaled 1,460 since the escalation began, without specifying the starting date for that figure.
Saree threatened further missile and drone attacks on Saudi sites and oil facilities, saying the group’s operations would continue until the attacks stopped and what he called a “blockade” on Yemen was lifted.
The Houthi announcement followed Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi’s declaration of comprehensive military operations against the group to recapture the remaining territory under its control.
Yemen’s government has stepped up military operations after the collapse of a 2022 truce in July and a sharp escalation in fighting in September.
The Houthis have also intensified attacks linked to the wider Middle East war, including strikes on Saudi energy infrastructure and moves affecting key shipping routes.
Last week, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen blamed the Houthis for a drone attack on an electricity distribution station in the holy city of Medina.
The facility provides power to the Prophet’s Mosque, the coalition said. The attack knocked one transformer out of service but did not affect the wider electricity grid.
The Houthis denied involvement in that attack.
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