Yemeni Ansarullah forces reached the strategic islands of Perim and Hanish as well as the coastal towns of Mocha and Dhubab, potentially tightening their grip on one of the world’s vital shipping routes through the Red Sea.
Ansarullah forces had seized the strategic island of Perim on Friday at the mouth of the Red Sea, in the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
Meanwhile, the East-West oil pipeline was hit on Thursday morning in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh and Medina regions, the Saudi Energy Ministry said.
Satellite images showed black smoke rising from an area of the pipeline south of Medina.
The attack caused some injuries and damage that was being assessed, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said, without detailing the impact on oil exports.
It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the strikes.
The world’s largest crude oil exporter subsequently shut down its 1,200-km (745-mile) East-West pipeline as a precaution after the vital oil conduit came under aerial attack.
Both Baghdad and Riyadh said the drone attack had originated in Iraq, while Iraq dismissed a military commander on Saturday in response to the attack.
The pipeline has been moving 4 million to 5 million barrels per day in recent months, amounting to 4% to 5% of global supply, according to ship tracking companies and analysts.
The pipeline, which runs across the Arabian Peninsula, had allowed Saudi Arabia to bypass disruptions in tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping has slowed to a trickle amid the six-month US war on Iran.
In a related development, the International Energy Agency said on Friday that Saudi crude supply had fallen to its lowest levels in more than three decades.
The developments have placed additional pressure on energy markets, with the combination of disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and Ansarullah’s tightening grip on the Red Sea contributing to an energy squeeze on both sides of the Arabian Peninsula and pushing global oil prices back above $100 per barrel.
The dual developments reported on Friday — the attack on the pipeline and the seizure of Perim Island — could represent an escalation as diplomatic efforts to end the war have stalled.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has asked Washington for military help with the Yemen war, sources said, as higher fuel prices during the war have already exacted a political toll on US President Donald Trump and his Republican Party ahead of November congressional elections.
Washington told Riyadh it was not willing to take direct military action for now but would help with intelligence sharing and targeting, the two sources said.