Saudi Arabia scrambles for an oil exit route after days of strikes with Houthis

It’s an ostensibly calmer morning today after several days of Saudi Arabia and the Houthis exchanging strikes.

Riyadh responded to the Houthis’ last round of strikes on Monday by ramping up its airstrikes on Yemen. The Houthis claim Saudi Arabia launched 54 airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Taiz, Lahj, Al Jawf, Marib, and Hodeidah governorates, the group’s military spokesperson Yahya Saree said. These strikes follow the group’s attack on King Khalid Airbase in Khamis Mushait.

The response comes after several days of an aggressive offensive on the Kingdom: Houthi militants struck the King Khalid Airbase in Khamis Mushait, fortified their presence on Yemen’s western coast, and captured two strategically critical Red Sea islands, Greater and Lesser Hanish.

As the fighting wages on, Riyadh is scrambling for an oil exit route. After reports that the Kingdom is trying to increase shipments through the Strait of Hormuz to offset the East-West pipeline shutdown, the Wall Street Journal reported that Saudi crude stored in Egypt can buy Riyadh another week of loadings before Red Sea exports have to fall sharply. The Kingdom temporarily shut the East-West oil pipeline after it was targeted by several drones launched from Iraq on 10 September. Riyadh is trying for a partial restart within days, but full repairs could take six to eight weeks, the sources said.