Houthi attacks on energy and military sites in southern Saudi Arabia pushed Brent crude to a $99 high on Tuesday, after fires at oil installations led to a temporary suspension of operations at facilities and utilities.
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis attacked four southern Saudi cities, striking targets in Abha, Najran and Jazan linked to Saudi Arabia's state oil company, as well as an airbase in Khamis Mushait. Saudi authorities said 73 people, including women and children, were wounded.
The strikes targeted infrastructure in a region that includes Jazan, a major Red Sea port and the site of a 400,000-barrel-per-day refinery, one of Saudi Arabia's largest. The rebels also targeted Jazan City for Primary and Downstream Industries, an industrial and logistics hub on Saudi Arabia's southwestern Red Sea coast.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthis' military spokesman, said the group had fired dozens of ballistic missiles and drones at oil and economic facilities and an air base in southern Saudi Arabia. The targeted airbase in Khamis Mushait was King Khalid Air Base, according to the account of the attacks.
The damage to individual facilities and the effect on production capacity were unclear. The temporary halt in operations nevertheless highlighted the exposure of energy infrastructure in an area close to the Bab el-Mandeb strait. About one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passed through the strait before the war.
The rise in Brent reflected immediate concern over disruption risk. Higher oil prices can add to cost pressure across transportation, manufacturing and consumer sectors, although the available information did not establish any measurable inflation effect from Tuesday's attacks.
The assault came hours after the Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia for an airstrike on a prison in Yemen's northern province of Jawf. At least seven people, including a child, were killed in that strike and seven others were wounded.
The attack marked a major escalation in renewed fighting between Saudi Arabia, an important US ally, and the Iranian proxy group. It was described as among the largest attacks against Saudi Arabia since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran in February.
Yahya Sarea, a Houthi spokesperson, said the Yemeni group would soon announce a broad military operation 'deep' into Saudi Arabia. It remained unclear whether that operation had begun or when it might take place.
The Houthis control most of Yemen's populated areas, including the capital. The latest exchange formed part of a wider flare-up that killed at least 194 people and wounded over 880 others between Aug. 23 and Sep. 5, according to the World Health Organization.
More than 21,000 people were displaced over the past 27 hours, including 18,500 in Taiz and Hodeida in southwestern Yemen, according to the United Nations. The UN figures underlined the civilian cost of the renewed fighting as the conflict also raised risks for Saudi energy infrastructure and oil markets.
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