Saudi Oil Pipeline Damaged by Houthi Rebels

A crucial Saudi oil pipeline, the East-West Pipeline, was damaged in an attack last week and is expected to be mostly out of service for weeks as repairs are made. The pipeline, which runs across the kingdom, is key to Saudi Arabia's strategy of shifting its oil exports to the Red Sea to avoid the Persian Gulf's Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian attacks have stifled shipping.

The 1,200-kilometer (745-mile) pipeline can carry up to 7 million barrels of oil a day. Repairing the damage could take three to five weeks, including at a major pumping facility. One of the officials said the line may work partially while teams carry out the repairs.

The capture of the East-West Pipeline is part of a larger conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Houthis have been striking Saudi oil infrastructure and shipping in the Red Sea, stepping up pressure on global oil prices and boosting Iran's leverage in its war with the United States.

The Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have been attempting to rally and fight back, but the Houthi gains have seemingly come with little resistance. The rebels deployed on the Hanish islands, 160 kilometers (100 miles) north of Bab el-Mandeb, after hundreds of government-allied forces withdrew from the archipelago.

The fighting threatens to reignite a war that for more than a decade brought disaster to Yemen, killing more than 150,000 people and driving the country to the brink of famine. The internationally recognized government, backed by an array of disparate militias, controls the south and east, including the key southern port of Aden.

People fleeing the Houthi advance told The Associated Press they saw forces withdrawing and urging people to run. Thousands of families have fled their homes in Taiz and nearby provinces in the past day, said Khanzad Shah, acting head of Islamic Relief, a charity that operates in the area.