The Houthis of Yemen announced that they have attacked the east-west crude oil pumping stations in Saudi Arabia and Riyadh International Airport. These attacks occur as rising hostilities have become a serious threat to oil supply and the possibility of a larger conflict.
Destruction of Ballistic Missiles by the Saudi Coalition
The coalition led by Saudi Arabia in Yemen had previously announced that it had destroyed two ballistic missile launch systems in Yemen's capital, Sana'a, and that one of these systems had fired a missile toward Riyadh, which the coalition claims to have intercepted. Currently, there is no direct confirmation from Saudi Arabia regarding the Houthi attacks.
Read more: Saudi Arabia and New Houthi Attacks on Oil Facilities
Expansion of Attacks on Oil Facilities and Infrastructure
The Houthis also announced that they targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. This airport resumed operations after an attack earlier this month that resulted in the deaths of 13 people. It appears that these attacks have turned Saudi Arabia into a pressure point in the broader war.
In light of these developments, senior officials from the Makkah Pact countries, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, will meet with Iranian officials in Tehran on Monday to discuss regional coordination. This negotiation marks the first high-level contact between Iran and all members of this three-country bloc since the increase in Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Last September, Saudi Arabia temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometer east-west pipeline due to an attack originating from Iraq. This pipeline is recognized as one of the key routes for Middle Eastern oil exports. Additionally, the Saudi coalition announced on Monday military operations against Houthi targets in Yemen, destroying five ballistic missile storage tunnels and four missile launch systems.
Given the recent developments, it seems that the civil war in Yemen, which began in 2015, has reached a critical point, and the UN-mediated ceasefire that has been in place since 2022 has effectively ended.
Read more: Qatar's Emir Recognized in New York for Mediation and International Diplomacy · Yemen and the Rise of the Houthis as a Regional Power
