Saudi Arabia halted operations at several energy facilities in the south after fresh Houthi attacks sparked fires, adding to concerns over oil supplies as Brent crude approaches $100/bbl.
While the targets appear to include infrastructure supplying domestic Saudi demand, repeated attacks on Jazan — home to a 400,000-bpd refinery — are a growing concern for oil markets.
Facilities in Abha and Najran are part of Saudi Arabia’s nationwide oil and gas distribution network and primarily serve domestic consumption, according to a 2025 Saudi Aramco prospectus.
Saudi officials said recent attacks targeting four cities near the Yemeni border have injured 73 people.
“Markets are increasingly pricing a prolonged Mideast conflict,” Goldman Sachs analysts including Daan Struyven wrote in a note. The bank modestly raised its oil-price forecasts on expectations that shipping disruptions will persist into 2027, adding that risks to its outlook remain “significantly tilted to the upside.”
The Houthi attacks come amid continued tensions between Iran and the U.S. Iran recently reorganized its military ranks around what it described as an “offensive doctrine,” while senior Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaee warned of a more aggressive posture toward U.S. forces in the region.
The latest attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure add another supply risk to a crude market already facing restricted shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent has climbed toward $100/bbl amid concerns that continued attacks on regional energy infrastructure could further constrain supplies.
source: worldoil.com