ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE
On Mat 14, 2 oil-pumping stations for Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline were hit by suicide drones, the kingdom’s Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid al-Falih said describing the attack “an act of terrorism” that targeted global oil supplies.
The energy minister stressed that Saudi oil production and exports will still continue uninterrupted. He claimed that the attack “proves the importance of confronting all terrorist organizations.”
The 1,200-km pipeline carries crude oil from Saudi Arabia’s main eastern oil fields to the Red Sea port city of Yanbu in the western part of the country. The targeted facilities are located in the town of al-Duwadimi and the city of Afif.
According to Saudi Aramco, there were no casualties as a result of the attack.
A few hours earlier, Yemen’s Masirah TV, loyal to the Ansar Allah movement [also known as the Houthis], reported that seven drones had beeen employed against vital Saudi installations.
The report based on remarks of the official from the Sanaa-based government [controlled by Ansar Allah], did not specify targets and the time of the attack.
According to the report, the drone strikes were carried out in response to Saudi Arabia’s military agression against Yemen. The official added that Yemeni forces are ready “to execute more of these significant and tough strikes as long as the siege continues.”
