Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure under fire: what the Houthi escalation means for jet fuel supply
Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure has become a direct target in the widening Yemen conflict, and the consequences are already visible in oil markets and airline cost sheets. Since mid-July 2026, Yemeni Houthi forces have conducted a sustained campaign of drone and missile strikes against Saudi airports, oil facilities, and maritime targets, escalating in September to a direct hit on the Kingdom’s critical East-West Pipeline. For an aviation sector still recovering from the jet fuel shortages triggered earlier this year by the broader Iran conflict, this is a second, compounding shock.