Houthi advances shut Saudi-backed East-West pipeline, sending oil prices tumbling
Houthi forces have seized key points on the Red Sea coast, forcing the Saudi-backed East-West oil pipeline offline for weeks and pushing Brent below $108 a barrel.
In a major setback for Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces, the Iran-supported Houthi rebels have taken Perim Island, the Bab el-Mandeb strait entrance and the Hanish islands, tightening their grip on the Red Sea corridor. Their offensive has forced the strategic East-West pipeline, vital for moving Saudi oil to the Red Sea and bypassing Hormuz, to remain largely non-operational for several weeks, causing Brent crude to slip just under $108 per barrel and TTF gas to fall to €82/MWh.
The rebels are now eyeing Marib, the last stronghold of anti-Houthi forces and home to Yemen’s largest oil and gas fields, while fierce fighting continues around Taiz and Aden. Saudi Arabia has responded with 129 air raids in 48 hours, and the Houthi side has launched missiles and drones at Saudi targets, including the King Khalid base and Taif, where Italian troops are stationed. Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman met the US Central Command chief and is set to discuss the situation with Egyptian President Al Sisi in Cairo, as the United States' Donald Trump criticized Joe Biden for rising oil prices and signaled a pause to air support for Saudi Arabia.
How this story developed
- Sep 8 Houthi strikes wound dozens in Saudi cities as coalition vows retaliation
- Sep 9 The European Union called on the Houthis to stop all attacks and warned of threats to regional stability and Red Sea shipping.
- Sep 10 Saudi civil defence lifted the emergency alert in Khamis Mushait following the Houthi strikes.
- Sep 10 Intense fighting has erupted across Yemen's north, west and central zones, killing at least 194 people and wounding 880 in the past two weeks.
- Sep 10 Houthis intensified attacks on the al‑Makha district near the Bab al‑Mandeb Strait.
- Sep 11 Houthi units have moved onto the Hanish Islands and are pressing southward toward Bab al‑Mandeb.
- Sep 11 GCC nations issued a joint condemnation of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia at the UN Security Council.
- Sep 11 The UN International Organisation for Migration says at least 46,000 Yemenis have been displaced since last week as clashes intensify.
- Sep 11 Houthis seized Perim Island and the town of Dhubab.
- Sep 11 Yemen's Saudi-led coalition said the Houthis attacked the Saudi Arabian southwestern cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha, and Jazan with ballistic missiles and drones.
- Sep 11 Iranian and Saudi diplomats held talks aimed at reducing regional insecurity.
- Sep 11 Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged President Donald Trump to authorize U.S. strikes against the Houthis, but the United States limited its role to intelligence and targeting assistance.
- Sep 11 Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said the pipeline was targeted by several drones launched from Iraq, causing human injuries and damage.
- Sep 14 The displacement figure has risen to nearly 86,000.
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