To: Snowshoe who wrote (2321 ) 5/14/2019 7:32:09 AM From: elmatador Respond to of 13775 Saudi Arabia Says an Oil Pipeline Was Attacked by Explosive-laden Drones Houthi-run TV says Yemeni group targeted vital Saudi installations Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said on Tuesday that two oil pumping stations for the East-West pipeline had been hit by explosive-laden drones, calling the attack "an act of terrorism" that targeted global oil supplies. Falih said that Saudi oil output and exports for crude and refined products were continuing without disruption, but that the state oil giant Aramco had halted oil pumping in the pipeline while the damage was evaluated and the stations were repaired, according to a statement carried by the state news agency SPA. A television station run by Yemen's Houthi group said on Tuesday the Iran-aligned movement had launched drone attacks on Saudi installations, without identifying the targets or time of the attacks. Saudi Arabia offered no immediate confirmation of the report, which comes a day after Riyadh said two of its oil tankers were among four vessels attacked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates on Sunday. The Masirah TV report cited a Houthi military official as saying that "seven drones carried out attacks on vital Saudi installations." It was not immediately clear if the Houthis, who are battling a Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen, were claiming responsibility for Sunday's attack near Fujairah emirate, which lies just outside the Strait of Hormuz. UAE authorities have not described the nature of that attack or who was behind it. The Houthis have repeatedly launched drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia and claimed to have launched drone attacks on the UAE. On Twitter, Al Masirah cited the official as saying, "This large military operation is in response to the continued aggression and blockade of our people and we are prepared to carry out more unique and harsh strikes." Saudi Arabia and the UAE are leading the Western-backed Sunni Muslim alliance that intervened in Yemen in 2015 against the Houthis to try to restore the internationally recognised government ousted from power in the capital Sanaa in late 2014. The conflict is widely seen in the region as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Houthis deny being puppets of Iran and say their revolution is against corruption.