Saudi Arabia has confirmed an East-West pipeline attack in the Medina region on Monday, causing a limited fire that emergency teams extinguished. No one was injured and pipeline operations were not affected, the Energy Ministry said.
FAKTA
- What happened: Saudi Arabia’s East-West crude oil pipeline was targeted in the Medina region on Monday, 9 November 2026.
- Damage: A limited fire broke out and was extinguished by emergency teams.
- Casualties: No injuries or fatalities were reported.
- Operations: Pipeline operations were unaffected, the Energy Ministry said.
- Responsibility: No group has claimed the attack and Saudi Arabia has not named a perpetrator.
A strategic route around the Strait of Hormuz
The 1,200-kilometre pipeline runs from Abqaiq in the Eastern Province to Yanbu on the Red Sea, carrying crude from the Gulf coast to export and refining centres. Aramco rates the line at seven million barrels a day.
It is Saudi Arabia’s only major route for exporting oil without using the Strait of Hormuz. Its value has grown since Iran began restricting shipping through the strait after the US-Israeli war with Iran began in late February, and Aramco boosted flows through the pipeline and loadings at Yanbu to offset the disruption.
Satellite images obtained on 8 November appeared to show damage at the pipeline’s No. 8 pumping station, and NASA fire-detection data picked up heat signatures at several points along the route, the Maritime Executive reported.
This is not the first attack on the line. On the morning of 10 September, the pipeline was targeted several times in the Riyadh and Medina regions and was shut as a precaution. Some people were injured in those attacks, and the line was restored within days.
East-West pipeline attack comes amid escalating strikes
The attack came at about the same time as a long-range attack on Aramco’s office tower in Riyadh’s financial district on Sunday. The Houthis claimed that attack, which caused minor damage and no injuries. Read more: Missile hits Aramco Tower in Riyadh financial district
The Houthis have stepped up strikes on Saudi energy infrastructure in recent weeks, including Aramco facilities in Dhahran, as the wider war with Iran continues. They have not claimed responsibility for the pipeline attack.
Saudi Arabia has also struck back. The Saudi-led coalition said on Monday it had destroyed a missile factory and a solid propellant plant in Houthi-held territory. The Houthis’ Almasirah television said the death toll from weekend Saudi strikes on a village in Sanaa province had risen to 44, including more than 20 children.
Markets unfazed
Oil markets were little moved by the news. Crude traded at $92 a barrel on Monday night, down from $117 on the eve of the US midterm elections, the Maritime Executive reported.
Saudi Arabia has not said who carried out the attack, whether a drone or a missile was used, or whether a pumping station or the pipe itself was hit near Medina. The cause remains under investigation.
