Yemen’s Houthi movement, which is backed by Iran, announced Monday that it carried out strikes against several critical crude oil supply and transportation facilities that connect eastern Saudi Arabia to the major Red Sea oil export terminal at Yanbu.
Saudi state oil company Aramco had not issued any response to media inquiries by the time of publication.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree stated that the attack was launched in retaliation for what he characterized as Saudi drone violations of Yemeni airspace.
Saudi Arabia had previously begun routing its crude oil production through its east-west pipeline to Yanbu as a workaround after Iran began targeting vessels in the Strait of Hormuz — a campaign that started following a war launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran in February.
Just last week, Iran’s Houthi allies escalated their threats against global energy supplies by announcing a blockade of Saudi Arabia’s oil operations in the Red Sea. That announcement drove oil prices even higher on international markets.
In response to the ongoing Houthi activity, Saudi Arabia has conducted airstrikes on what it described as Houthi military infrastructure at Yemen’s Hodeidah port, vowing to defend freedom of navigation in the region.
