The Saudi state company Aramco’s East-West pipeline, which crosses the Medina region in the west of Saudi Arabia, has suffered an attack that has caused a small fire in part of its facilities, the Saudi Ministry of Energy reported.
The emergency and rescue services deployed to the site managed to put out the fire in a short time, with no fatalities or injuries, and without the incident affecting operations or the ordinary crude pumping through the pipeline, the official statement indicates.
After the attack, specialized technical teams put into motion safety protocols and emergency plans to cordon off the area and check the condition of the facilities, the Ministry details, in an infrastructure considered strategic because of its location as an alternative to passing through the Strait of Ormuz in the context of the conflict facing the United States and Israel with the Iranian regime.
Although the official assessment does not directly point to those responsible for the attack, the incident is part of the escalation of tensions between the coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the internationally recognized Yemeni forces against the Houthi rebels supported by Tehran.