Houthi rebels claim drone attack on Saudi pipelines

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a drone attack that Saudi Arabian officials said struck petroleum pumping stations across the kingdom. The drones caused a fire at a station that supplies a pipeline from the oil-rich Eastern province to the Yanbu port on the Red Sea, Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said in a statement.

Houthi-run Masirah Television said the group attacked in retaliation for the “continued aggression and blockade” on Iran. A Saudi-led coalition has fought the Houthi rebels in Yemen since 2015 in a bid to restore power to the internationally recognized government.

In January, the rebel group staged a similar drone attack on the coalition’s military parade, killing six people. On Sunday, an attack sabotaged two Saudi oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. The attack resulted in a spike in oil prices as Benchmark Brent crude traded at $71 per barrel on Tuesday, a $1.27 increase from the previous day. The United States recently warned that Iran might step up attacks on crude oil supplies in retaliation for U.S. sanctions on its oil exports.

“These attacks prove again that it is important for us to face terrorist entities, including the Houthi militias in Yemen that are backed by Iran,” al-Falih said.