Saudi Arabia has closed its East-West oil pipeline after the drone attack. Pumping stations connected to the pipeline caught fire and some people were injured in the drone attack on Thursday. After the closure of Hormuz due to the Iran war, Saudi was sending about 5 million barrels of oil daily through this pipeline. The Saudi Energy Ministry said on Friday that the pipeline had been hit by multiple attacks on Thursday. Ministry teams are busy securing the pipeline and locating the damage. At present it is not clear who carried out these attacks. Till now no country or organization has taken responsibility for the attack. Pumping stations caught fire due to drone attack: According to American officials, the pumping stations built near the pipeline were targeted in the attack. Pumping stations help in moving oil through pipelines. Satellite images taken on Friday showed extensive damage from the fire at a pumping station. In another picture, black smoke was seen coming out of the station. It is not yet clear how much direct damage has been caused to the pipeline. It is also not known when the pipeline will restart. Saudi’s claim – Drones had come from Iraq. Saudi Foreign Ministry said that pipelines in Riyadh and Medina areas were attacked by many drones. According to Saudi, these drones came from Iraq. Saudi said that at the behest of Iraq’s Prime Minister, it has decided not to retaliate yet. Saudi wants Iraq to take action first to stop such attacks from its soil. Iraq has also condemned the attack. The Iraqi government said it would investigate the matter and would not allow its land or airspace to be used to attack other countries. The importance of the pipeline increased after the closure of Hormuz. Most of Saudi Arabia’s oil is produced in the eastern part of the country. To transport it to other countries, ships are usually used, which have to pass through the Strait of Hormuz to exit the Persian Gulf. When the Hormuz route was closed after the Iran war, Saudi resorted to the East-West Pipeline. This pipeline transports oil from the eastern part of the country directly to Yanbu port on the west coast. That means oil does not have to go through Hormuz. After the closure of Hormuz, Saudi was sending about 5 million barrels of oil daily to Yanbu through this pipeline. From there, oil can be transported to other countries through ships. The route to the Red Sea is also on the verge of closure. After Hormuz, the route to the Red Sea also seems to be on the verge of closure. Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed control of the area of Bab al-Mandeb Strait and have said that Saudi ships will not be allowed to pass through this route. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sari said Saudi-backed forces had lost control of Perim Island, located in the middle of the Bab al-Mandeb. Houthis claim that they now control about 5,400 square kilometers of area. Bab al-Mandeb is an important route for shipping between Asia and Europe. Ships filled with oil also reach Europe and other markets through the Red Sea through this route. —————— Also read this news… Israel blew up 2km long tunnel of Hezbollah in Lebanon: After the explosion there was an earthquake of 4.1 magnitude; Netanyahu said – Mission accomplished, Happy New Year Israel blasted and destroyed a more than 2 kilometer long tunnel of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. About 1100 tonnes of explosives were used for the blast. The explosion was so strong that tremors like an earthquake of 4.1 magnitude were felt in the area. Read the full news here…
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