Satellite imagery shows a black plume of smoke across the desert between Medina and Mahd adh Dhahab.
Fire and smoke can be seen coming from Saudi Arabia’s main East-West oil pipeline after a suspected strike by Houthi militants, who have been attacking the kingdom, according to reports citing video and satellite imagery.
Sentinel-3 satellite imagery shows a black smoke plume over the pipeline route across the desert between Medina and Mahd adh Dhahab. Meanwhile, NASA’s FIRMS system also showed clustered thermal anomalies in the area.
There has been no independent confirmation of fires but the reports follow Houthi attacks on Saudi territory over the past 24 hours. Newsweek has contacted the Saudi government for comment.
The pipeline carries Saudi crude from Abqaiq to Yanbu on the Red Sea which is Saudi Arabia’s only export route that does not pass through the Strait of Hormuz, access to which has been blocked due to the war in Iran.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
