A fire broke out near Saudi Arabia’s key oil export hub of Ras Tanura on the Persian Gulf following an attack early on Tuesday, but the Kingdom quickly contained the fire, an unnamed source familiar with the events told Bloomberg.
The extent of the damage was not clear, nor whether the hub was affected.
Saudi Arabia early on Tuesday said it had intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis toward the Eastern Region, as well as four UAVs launched by the militia toward its Southern Region.
Attacks have intensified amid escalating fighting between Saudi-led forces in Yemen and the Iran-backed Houthi group in Yemen. The Houthis have ramped up ballistic missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure in recent weeks after the Saudi-led coalition moved to retake parts of southwest Yemen from the Houthis. The areas are on the Red Sea and give control over the vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which is the closest sea route between the Mediterranean and Asia via the Suez Canal.
Several high-profile attacks have rocked Saudi Arabia this month, including the deadliest hit in years in which 14 people were killed in two separate missile strikes on the international airport in Riyadh.
Saudi Aramco’s administrative building in Dharan, eastern Saudi Arabia, was also hit in attacks by the Houthis two days after the deadly airport attacks.
This week, the Houthis on Monday claimed they attacked pumping stations along Saudi Arabia’s East-West onshore oil pipeline, the Kingdom’s key crude export route bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi Arabia has not confirmed any attacks on the oil pipeline, which was down for two weeks in September following drone attacks that damaged pumping stations and halted loadings of crude oil cargoes at the Yanbu port on the Red Sea.
Last week, two people were killed and two others injured by debris from intercepted drones near a processing plant at the Shaybah field, one of the biggest oilfields in Saudi Arabia.
Operations at the Shaybah field and its processing facilities remain unaffected, but the attack rattled markets again amid concerns about potential disruption to Saudi supply just as the Kingdom has largely restored its exports via the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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