{"text":[[{"start":8,"text":"Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline caught fire after an attack on Monday, the kingdom said, the latest strike to threaten vital energy infrastructure since Riyadh’s conflict with Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen reignited over the summer."}],[{"start":22.68,"text":"The attack took place in the Madinah region in western Saudi Arabia. The fire was extinguished by emergency response teams and there was no impact on operations, the ministry added in a statement. No fatalities or injuries were reported."}],[{"start":36.84,"text":"The Saudi statement did not identify who attacked the pipeline, which connects the kingdom’s oil-rich east with the Red Sea to the west. It became a critical outlet for crude exports after the US-Israeli war with Iran in effect shut down the Strait of Hormuz."}],[{"start":52.84,"text":"Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude oil exporter, had to temporarily shut down the East-West pipeline in September after a drone attack launched by pro-Iranian militias based in Iraq."}],[{"start":64.12,"text":"Neither the militias nor the Houthis, who have repeatedly bombarded Saudi infrastructure since their long-running war with Saudi Arabia restarted in July, immediately claimed responsibility for the latest attack."}],[{"start":76.24,"text":"But the Houthis previously said they targeted a pumping station along the pipeline last month."}],[{"start":81.68,"text":"Following Monday’s attack, the Saudi energy ministry said “emergency response teams and specialised technical teams responded immediately . . . and took the necessary measures to secure the site”."}],[{"start":92.4,"text":"The targeting of the pipeline comes one day after Houthis claimed an attack on Riyadh-based administrative offices of state oil company Saudi Aramco, located in the King Abdullah Financial District."}],[{"start":104.84,"text":"The Saudi energy ministry said the building, known as the Aramco Tower, sustained “minor damage” but no injuries or fatalities were reported. Employees in the financial district have been told to work remotely in recent weeks."}],[{"start":118.32,"text":"The Houthis last month hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh several times as the group escalated its assault on the kingdom."}],[{"start":126.48,"text":"The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said the militants attacked the airport 20 times in the span of 10 days in early October, killing at least 17 people and injuring more than 300."}],[{"start":138.08,"text":"The airport attacks forced Saudi Arabia to cancel or postpone several major events, including the kingdom’s flagship Future Investment Initiative investment conference — commonly known as “Davos in the Desert” — and caused significant disruption to travel across the region."}],[{"start":154.32,"text":"Saudi Arabia intervened in the civil war in Yemen a decade ago seeking to restore the country’s internationally recognised government in its fight against the Houthis. The conflict flared up again this year after a 2022 truce between the kingdom and the Iran-backed rebels collapsed, roiling energy markets."}],[{"start":176.52,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1794284348_8425.mp3"}