1000km Away from Major Saudi Oil Facilities
"If US Sanctions Are Not Fully Lifted, War Will Continue" Pressure
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Yemeni Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for a missile attack on the oil facilities of Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company Aramco, raising concerns that this could further fuel the recent surge in international oil prices. However, analysts suggest that since the attack targeted the western region rather than the eastern region where Aramco's major oil production facilities are concentrated, it is unlikely to cause significant disruption to oil supply in the immediate term. The Houthi rebels have pressured the U.S. government by stating that they will continue the war unless U.S. sanctions are fully lifted, and it is expected that there will be changes to the Biden administration's conciliatory policy toward the Houthi rebels.
According to foreign media including Al Jazeera, on the 4th (local time), the Houthi rebels issued a statement saying, "The missile unit attacked Aramco's oil facilities in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with cruise missiles, and the missiles hit their targets." Jeddah is a port city in the western region of Saudi Arabia, located near the Saudi capital Mecca. According to major foreign media, Jeddah is known to be more than 1,000 km away from the eastern region where Saudi Aramco's main oil facilities are located, so the impact on international oil prices is expected to be limited.
Al Jazeera reported that the Houthi rebels appear to have carried out this missile attack to pressure the U.S. and Saudi Arabia by demanding that the U.S. fully lift sanctions imposed on Houthi leaders. Earlier, the Biden administration had adopted a conciliatory approach by removing the Houthi rebels from the terrorist list and halting Saudi support for attacks against the Houthis, but as the Houthi rebels have continued their offensives against Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government, the administration is reportedly reconsidering its response strategy.
At the end of last month, foreign media also reported that the U.S. special envoy for Yemen directly contacted the Houthi rebels to urge a ceasefire negotiation with Saudi Arabia. According to major foreign media, U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen Timothy Lenderking met with Houthi negotiation representative Muhammad Abdulsalam on the 26th of last month in Muscat, the capital of Oman. It is reported that during this meeting, Lenderking pressured the Houthi rebels to stop their attack on Marib, where the Yemeni government forces are entrenched, and urged them to actively engage in ceasefire negotiations with Saudi Arabia via video conference.
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