Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis exchanged fresh strikes across their border on Thursday, and Yemeni civilians fled by boat as the fighting spread. The clashes have shut Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline, an alternative route for Gulf crude oil, and pushed U.S. diesel prices to a record even as global crude eased slightly on the day.
Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis exchanged fresh strikes across their border on Thursday, and Yemeni civilians took to boats to escape the fighting as the widening Middle East war threatens global oil supplies.
Houthi-controlled television reported fresh Saudi air strikes on Thursday in Hajjah province near the Red Sea coast and around Taiz further inland. Saudi Arabia's civil defence said a Yemeni resident was killed by debris from a drone intercepted over Taif, the first death Riyadh has announced since fighting escalated last week. It had previously said more than 80 people were wounded.
Yemenis flee the fighting by boat
The International Organization for Migration says more than 100,000 Yemenis have been displaced by the latest fighting, most of them within Yemen. Some crossed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait by boat after Houthi forces swept into their home villages along the coast.
Oil supply routes under threat
The Houthis, who have seized Yemen's entire Red Sea coast since last week in a rapid advance, say Saudi jets have flown hundreds of strikes in recent days. They also say they shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet on Wednesday. The fighting jeopardizes the main alternative route for Gulf oil: Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline, which pumps crude across the Arabian Peninsula for shipment from the Red Sea, has been shut since an attack last week that Riyadh said came from Iraq.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas passed before the war, remains contested. Iran says the strait is closed and will stay shut until Washington lifts its blockade of Iranian ports, while the U.S. Navy tries to guide ships through. Global crude prices eased slightly on Thursday but remained well above $100 a barrel after hitting their highest levels since May. U.S. retail diesel prices set a new all-time record, just shy of $6.40 a gallon.
Trump hopes for an end
President Donald Trump has so far rebuffed Saudi requests for military support against the Houthis, who reached a ceasefire with Washington last year after two months of U.S. bombing. Trump told reporters Wednesday: "Well, hopefully we are towards the end of the war," adding that Iran wants to make a deal. No negotiations between the United States and Iran have taken place since an interim agreement reached in June collapsed within weeks.
Source: Investing.com
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