Saudi Arabia issued wide-ranging security alerts on Tuesday — including in Mecca and Jeddah — after a week of attacks from Iran-aligned fighters that have dragged the kingdom deeper into the Middle East war, Reuters reported.
The alerts were swiftly lifted and Saudi authorities did not immediately say whether any projectiles landed, nor was there an immediate claim of responsibility. Reuters noted the Mecca alarm was the first of the war in the city that houses shrines sacred to Muslims worldwide.
Yemen’s Houthis have announced major attacks on Saudi targets over the past week, including Monday strikes on an air base they said were retaliation for airstrikes on Yemen. A Saudi-led coalition said 13 civilians were wounded in Monday’s Houthi attacks. Saudi officials have separately blamed a pro-Iranian Iraqi movement for a Friday attack that knocked out the East-West Pipeline, the kingdom’s key export route while Hormuz shipping stays disrupted.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNBC crude should flow through that pipeline again within days. Traders warn a prolonged outage could cut as much as 4% of global oil supply. Houthis also seized an island at the mouth of the Red Sea last week, tightening pressure on the Bab el-Mandeb. Brent crude futures rose above $108 a barrel Tuesday, and the U.S. average retail diesel price hit a record near $6.27 a gallon, Reuters said. The U.N. Security Council was set to discuss the Bab el-Mandeb crisis Tuesday afternoon.
Sources: Reuters
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