File image.
Projectiles struck Saudi Arabia’s strategic East-West oil pipeline and triggered fires, CNN reported on September 11, citing United States officials familiar with the incident, in a potentially significant escalation of attacks on the kingdom’s energy infrastructure.
It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the strikes or whether sections of the pipeline itself were damaged, according to the report.
One U.S. official told the network that the pipeline was struck by drones originating from Iraq. It was also unclear how long any damage would take to repair, the officials said.
The CNN report came after satellite imagery and fire-detection data had already pointed to unusual activity along the pipeline’s route south of Medina, providing an earlier indication that the kingdom’s main east-west oil corridor may have been targeted.
Click to see full-size image. (X)
Reuters reported Friday that satellite imagery showed a large plume of black smoke rising from an area along the East-West pipeline south of Medina. At the time, however, there was no public confirmation from Saudi authorities or Saudi Aramco that the pipeline had been struck. Earlier satellite-based observations also identified several thermal anomalies along the pipeline corridor.
Click to see full-size image. (X)
The East-West pipeline, also known as Petroline, links Saudi Arabia’s oil-producing eastern region with the Red Sea port of Yanbu.
The roughly 1,200-kilometer route provides Riyadh with a way to move crude toward the Red Sea without sending tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.
That function has become increasingly important during the current regional conflict, which has disrupted oil flows and shipping routes across the Gulf and Red Sea.
Saudi Arabia has sought to rely more heavily on overland and Red Sea routes as maritime traffic through Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb has come under pressure.
The reported strike also follows a series of attacks claimed by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia. On September 8, the group launched missiles and drones toward targets in several parts of the kingdom, including Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran.
Saudi authorities reported fires and casualties following the attacks, while Houthi military spokesman Birg. Gen. Yahya Saree said the group had targeted Saudi military and energy facilities.
At the same time, Houthi forces have been expanding their position along Yemen’s western coast. Reports on September 11 said the group had seized Perim Island, also known as Mayyun, in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, as well as the nearby coastal town of Dhubab.
The advance gave the Houthis a stronger position near the southern entrance to the Red Sea and added to concerns over shipping and oil exports using the route.
The combination of developments has increased the pressure on Saudi Arabia’s energy network. A disruption around Yanbu or the Red Sea can threaten one set of export routes, while an attack on the East-West pipeline could threaten the kingdom’s principal overland alternative to Hormuz.
The International Energy Agency said earlier in the day that Saudi crude supply fell sharply in August to about 6 million barrels per day, its lowest level in more than three decades.
Iran-aligned armed factions in Iraq may have carried out the attack against the Saudi pipeline, potentially for more than one reason. The strike could have been intended to support the Houthis’ campaign against Saudi Arabia while also serving as retaliation for the July 29 U.S.-Saudi airstrikes on Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) positions in Iraq, which killed at least 20 people and wounded 32.
The possibility is particularly notable because the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella grouping of Iran-aligned factions, had previously announced that it was delaying its response to those strikes rather than abandoning it.
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