Saudi Arabia reports attack on East-West oil pipeline

Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry said an attack on the East-West oil pipeline in the Medina region on November 9 caused a limited fire that was extinguished, but did not injure anyone or interrupt operations. The ministry did not identify who carried out the attack.

The pipeline moves oil from Saudi Arabia’s eastern producing areas to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, providing an export route that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. The ministry said the line continued operating after the fire. Emergency response teams and technical specialists worked at the scene and took steps to secure the area, according to the ministry’s statement.

Responsibility for the Medina incident remained unconfirmed. On Tuesday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree denied that his group was responsible and said Houthi forces had instead targeted pumping stations near Riyadh. In a separate statement, Saree said the group had targeted Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport and several East-West pipeline pumping stations, among other locations. Those statements do not establish who caused the fire in Medina.

Saudi Arabia has relied more heavily on the East-West route amid disruption to shipping through the...