A possible Houthi strike on Saudi Arabia’s East-West crude oil pipeline has been reported in the desert southeast of Madinah, with satellite imagery showing a large smoke plume and fire-detection data indicating sustained thermal activity along the route.
In a post on X on Friday, September 11, The Hormuz Letter said Sentinel-3 imagery showed a black smoke plume stretching nearly 100 kilometres across the desert southeast of Madinah, along the pipeline route towards Mahd adh-Dhahab.
NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) also detected several thermal anomalies in the area. The satellite-based system identifies active fire locations but cannot determine what caused them or whether oil infrastructure was damaged.
Other accounts shared similar satellite imagery and alleged that several locations along the pipeline had been hit.
Saudi authorities and Saudi Aramco have not confirmed a strike on the pipeline or reported an interruption to crude flows.
East-West pipeline’s strategic role
The East-West pipeline, also known as Petroline, extends for roughly 1,200 kilometres from Saudi Arabia’s oil-producing region in the east to Yanbu on the Red Sea coast.
The route enables the kingdom to transport crude towards the Red Sea without relying on the Strait of Hormuz. Its importance has increased as shipping through the Gulf chokepoint faces severe restrictions during the ongoing regional conflict.
The pipeline has a stated pumping capacity of about 7 million barrels per day, making any prolonged disruption potentially significant for Saudi Arabia’s oil-export network.
Wider Houthi escalation
The reported incident follows a series of Houthi attacks against southern Saudi Arabia. On Tuesday, September 8, the group launched missiles and drones towards areas including Jazan, Abha, Najran and Khamis Mushait.
Saudi Arabia has carried out retaliatory strikes in Yemen as tensions between the two sides have intensified.
The developments coincide with a separate Houthi advance around the Bab el-Mandab Strait. Yemeni government forces withdrew from Perim Island, also known as Mayyun, on Thursday, after which boats carrying armed Houthi fighters reached the strategically located island, according to a local government official and eyewitnesses cited by AFP.
Reuters separately reported that Houthi forces had reached Dhubab, a coastal town directly opposite Perim Island.
The moves could strengthen Houthi control over approaches to the Bab el-Mandab, a key maritime passage connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
