Egypt’s parliament on Monday authorized military support to defend Saudi Arabia, the same day Yemen’s Houthis claimed unconfirmed attacks on pumping stations along the kingdom’s East-West crude pipeline and on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport.
The Houthis had warned Cairo against the move. Yahya Al Raei, speaker of the Houthi-run parliament in Sanaa, wrote to Egyptian Speaker Hisham Badawy last week that joining the conflict “would pose a grave danger” to Egypt’s national security.
The approval allows President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to send forces if Riyadh asks for help against the Houthis. Sisi has said Egyptian support will be confined to defending Saudi territory and borders, with no attacks inside Yemen.
The Houthis claimed the pipeline strikes on Monday without naming the stations hit. Saudi Arabia had not confirmed any damage by Monday morning. On Saturday, the Houthis had also claimed strikes on the Rabigh refinery and an Aramco facility in Yanbu, which Riyadh also hasn’t confirmed.
The 740-mile pipeline carries crude across the kingdom to Yanbu on the Red Sea, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. It was shut for two weeks after drone attacks blamed on Iran-backed Iraqi militias damaged pumping stations on September 10. Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said on October 6 that flows had recovered to 5.8 million barrels per day, against a capacity of about 7 million bpd. Saudi exports from Yanbu have averaged about 3 million bpd so far in October, according to Kpler.
The Saudi-led coalition said it destroyed two ballistic missile launchers in Sanaa, one of which was used to fire a missile toward Riyadh that was intercepted. It also said it hit five missile storage tunnels and four more launchers.
Riyadh is talking to Tehran at the same time, with Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman leading a surprise delegation to Tehran on Monday. Riyadh said the visit aimed to de-escalate and support mediation by Qatar and Pakistan. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said indirect talks with Washington continue through both countries, and that Tehran is ready to resume fighting but diplomacy is still possible.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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