[Oil Pipeline Attacked, Saudi Arabia Faces Further Misfortune]
According to an open-source intelligence website, the Houthi rebels have struck Saudi Arabia's oil pipeline. Footage uploaded to social media shows a smoke plume stretching for 100 kilometers following the attack. Meanwhile, images monitored by the "Sentinel" satellites indicate the strike occurred south of Medina. It remains unclear how much damage has been inflicted on Saudi Arabia’s oil pipelines, but for oil transportation networks, once any single node is severed due to external attack, the entire energy pipeline system is likely rendered inoperable.
With the Strait of Hormuz blocked, this pipeline has become Saudi Arabia’s lifeline for energy exports. Since March this year, Saudi Arabia has primarily transported oil from the Persian Gulf region to the Red Sea via this pipeline, then shipped it out to avoid Iranian attacks. However, over the past two months, relations between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi rebels have deteriorated sharply. The Red Sea route used to deliver oil to Asian markets has now been cut off, forcing Saudi Arabia to reroute its oil exports through the Suez Canal around Africa. With the recent damage to the pipeline, Saudi Arabia is expected to suspend its oil exports abroad.
It’s hard to deny that Saudi Arabia has been extremely unlucky recently. First came setbacks in the Yemen conflict—Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces suffered a catastrophic defeat on September 10, with Houthi fighters advancing all the way to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Going forward, Saudi Arabia will likely face even greater constraints from the Houthis. When Crown Prince Salman called President Trump urging immediate U.S. military intervention, Trump refused outright. Now, with its own oil pipeline attacked by the Houthis, Saudi Arabia truly faces one disaster after another.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1876031775025216/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.