TL;DR
On September 11, 2026 (local time), Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement strongly condemning drone attacks on the Riyadh and Madinah sections of the East–West oil pipeline, saying the attacks came from the direction of Iraq and caused injuries and damage. The same day, the Energy Ministry said the sections were hit repeatedly on the morning of September 10 and had taken preventive closure measures.
Event overview
On September 11, 2026, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry condemned drone attacks on its East–West oil pipeline in the Riyadh and Madinah regions, saying they came from the direction of Iraq. The statement said the attacks caused injuries and damage, and losses were being handled.
On the same day, Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry said the Riyadh and Madinah sections of the East–West pipeline were hit repeatedly on the morning of September 10 and had been placed under preventive closure.
Key facts
- Target and time: Riyadh and Madinah sections of Saudi Arabia's East–West oil pipeline, hit repeatedly on the morning of September 10.
- Saudi statements: The Foreign Ministry on September 11 condemned the attacks as coming from Iraq; the Energy Ministry announced preventive closure of the damaged sections.
- Iraq's response: On the evening of September 11, the spokesman for Iraq's Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Sabah al-Nu'man, condemned the attacks and said Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani had ordered an urgent investigation into the circumstances and those responsible.
- Background: Houthi forces in Yemen launched a large-scale military operation on September 3 aimed at expelling Saudi-led forces massing along parts of Yemen's western coast; on September 11 the Houthis said shipping in the Red Sea was safe for all countries' vessels except Saudi ships.
- At the UN Security Council: On September 10, Saudi Arabia's UN representative said at an emergency session that Houthi attacks on Saudi cities had injured 73 civilians, including women and children.
Official sources
- CCTV News (International briefing, published September 12, 2026): http://m.toutiao.com/group/7684405437172679168/
- Xinhuanet Daily World Briefing (September 11, 2026): http://www.chinaview.cn/20260911/b69aa63e708f4f1a9fd32ad98bf71248/c.html