Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry formally attributed Friday's drone strike on the kingdom's East-West Pipeline to launches from Iraq, not the Houthis, and reported casualties and material damage. The ministry stated that, at the request of the Iraqi prime minister, Riyadh has chosen not to respond at this stage while reserving its right to act. Iraq's prime minister subsequently announced an investigation and dismissed the operations officer of Misan province, from where the drones were reportedly launched. (Abu Ali Express)
Friday's drone strike targeted multiple pumping stations along the Saudi East-West Pipeline, a strategic crude artery linking the Eastern Province to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Satellite imagery released later confirmed that at least one pumping station was completely destroyed, with burn scars and active fires at the Al-Dhekraa and Al-Misbaah stations, according to open-source analysis. The Saudi Energy Ministry announced a temporary shutdown of the pipeline and reported several injuries without providing a timeline for repairs.
In a formal statement Saturday, the Saudi Foreign Ministry attributed the attack to drones launched from Iraqi territory, not from the Houthi-controlled area of Yemen as initially suspected. Riyadh noted casualties and material damage, but stated it had chosen not to retaliate at this stage, following a request from Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to allow Baghdad time to take action. Iraq subsequently announced an investigation and dismissed the operations officer of Misan province, the region from which the drones were reportedly launched. Saudi Arabia reaffirmed its right to take all necessary measures to defend its sovereignty and infrastructure.
The attack underscores the vulnerability of Saudi energy infrastructure to a coordinated drone campaign from multiple directions, bypassing air defenses oriented toward the south. The East-West Pipeline, capable of transporting up to 210 million barrels of crude per month, serves as Saudi Arabia's primary alternative export route should the Strait of Hormuz be disrupted.
The exact number of casualties and the timeline for resuming pipeline operations remain unconfirmed. The Zioneer has reported on previous attacks on Saudi energy facilities, including the destruction of a pumping station in Thursday's strike and the earlier outage at the Jazan refinery in late July following a Houthi strike.
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