Saudi warplanes unleashed 52 strikes on Yemen in one day, as energy infrastructure hangs in the balance

Saudi warplanes unleashed 52 strikes on Yemen in one day, as energy infrastructure hangs in the balance

Lance D Johnson

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia escalated its war on Yemen with 52 airstrikes and missile attacks in a single 24-hour period, bringing the total number of Saudi-led attacks since late July to 988, according to a statement from the Ansarallah-led Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) on September 23. The relentless bombing campaign, launched from the Khamis Mushait and Taif airbases and from missile positions in Jizan, targeted five governorates, including Hodeidah, Taiz, Al-Bayda, Marib, and Saada, while inflicting civilian casualties and destroying critical infrastructure including telecommunications networks, schools, bridges, and roads. While Riyadh frames these attacks as a necessary response to Yemeni retaliatory strikes, the numbers tell a stark story of a bombing campaign that has failed to achieve its strategic objectives and instead ignited a tit-for-tat escalation that now threatens the kingdom’s very economic lifeline and energy infrastructure.

Key points:

• Saudi Arabia has launched 988 airstrikes and missile attacks on Yemen since the latest escalation began in July, with 52 occurring in a single day on September 22-23.
• Targets include civilian infrastructure such as telecommunications networks, schools, bridges, and roads across five governorates, resulting in deaths and injuries among women and children.
• Yemen’s Ansarallah-led forces have retaliated with precision strikes on Saudi energy infrastructure, including the critical East–West Pipeline, forcing Aramco to halt operations and reroute tankers.
• The YAF shot down a Saudi Wing Loong II drone and, earlier in September, downed a US-made Saudi F-15 warplane, demonstrating advanced military capabilities.
• Saudi Arabia’s bombing campaign has failed to halt Sanaa’s lightning advance across the western Yemeni coast and seizure of multiple Red Sea islands formerly occupied by the UAE.
• Traders report crude oil prices falling by over $2 a barrel as the East–West Pipeline remains partially offline, with full restoration potentially taking weeks.

While Saudi bombs rain down on Yemeni villages, Yemeni missiles and drones have found their mark with devastating precision on the kingdom’s economic arteries. The East–West Pipeline, a critical infrastructure asset that transports crude oil from the eastern oil fields to the Red Sea coast for export, was heavily targeted earlier in September. Satellite imagery confirmed the decimation of at least one pumping station, with multiple other stations hit in the same attack. Though no group claimed immediate responsibility, the timing and location align with Yemeni operations against Saudi energy infrastructure, and Riyadh’s claim that the drones originated from Iraq raises more questions than it answers.

Aramco has been forced to inform at least two European refiners that they will receive no crude in October under their long-term supply contracts, citing damage from the pipeline strike. The company is scrambling to restore operations, with one source telling Reutersthat full resumption could take weeks. Meanwhile, Brent crude futures fell by over $2 a barrel as global markets absorbed the news, reflecting the vulnerability of Saudi oil exports to Yemeni reprisals. Traders are now prepping for potential disruptions by moving tankers to Egypt’s Mediterranean Port Said for ship-to-ship transfers and to Sidi Kerir.

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