Houthis claim fresh strikes on Saudi oil sites
Claims, not confirmed strikes
On Thursday 29 October 2026, the Houthis said they had attacked several sites in Saudi Arabia, including its largest oil refinery, Ras Tanura, the Rabigh refinery and an Aramco facility in Abqaiq, Reuters reported on 30 October. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree, in a post on X, claimed success in all the latest attacks, which he said also included King Fahd International Airport in Dammam and King Khalid Airport in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia has not confirmed these attacks or their impact on the facilities targeted.
The Ras Tanura attack would be the second this week: reports emerged on Tuesday of a fire at the facility that Saudi authorities said was quickly contained. Ras Tanura refinery capacity is 550,000 barrels per day. A Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted a cruise missile launched by the Houthis towards the kingdom’s western region.
Pipeline claim and oil reaction
The Houthis also claimed an attack on Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline, which redirects crude from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea, bypassing Hormuz. Saudi Arabia has not confirmed any pipeline attack. The pipeline resumed operations in September after a drone-attack shutdown, with Saudi Arabia reporting flows recovered to 5.8 million barrels per day by 6 October.
Oil rose on the supply concerns: Reuters reported Brent up 86 cents (0.75%) to $115.74 a barrel as of 0122 GMT in early trade on Friday, and West Texas Intermediate up 72 cents (0.71%) to $102.72. MST Marquee Head of Energy Research Saul Kavonic told Reuters that continued kinetic action around the Strait of Hormuz, amid doubts over a viable diplomatic pathway, was keeping oil prices elevated in expectation of escalation in coming weeks. Separately, ExxonMobil and Chevron cancelled plans for executives to travel to the UAE’s biggest oil show next week, two sources told Reuters.
