This image taken from undated video released by the Ansar Allah Media Office, the media arm of Yemen's Houthi rebels, on Sep 9, 2026, shows a Houthi fighter firing a truck-mounted anti-aircraft gun during what the group said was an attack on Saudi-backed forces in eastern Jawf province, Yemen. (Photo: Ansar Allah Media Office via AP)
12 Sep 2026 03:48PM
CAIRO: Saudi Arabia said on Friday (Sep 12) it shut down a major pipeline a day after it was attacked by drones, and Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels captured a strategic island at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, two officials said, opening a new front in the Iran war.The Houthis made their biggest territorial gains in years along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s key shipping lanes. The advance could boost Iran’s strategy of driving up world oil and gas prices to pressure the United States.Saudi Arabia said it had shut down the East-West pipeline after it was attacked the day before. The Saudi Ministry of Energy called the shutdown "a precautionary measure".The Saudi Foreign Ministry blamed the attack on several drones that came from Iraq. In a statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, the kingdom said it would not respond to give the Iraqi government "an opportunity to take the necessary measures".
