Saudi Arabia has temporarily suspended oil shipments through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait separating the Red Sea from the Indian Ocean, after Houthi rebels in Yemen reportedly launched attacks on a pair of tankers, causing damage to one. The state-owned Saudi Aramco oil company said no one was injured in the attacks and that no oil spilled, but the halt in shipments caused oil prices to increase worldwide. This comes as the U.K.-based charity Save the Children warned Yemen is likely to see a spike in cholera cases as hot summertime conditions favor a resurgence of the water-borne illness. At least 3,000 new cholera cases were reported in the first week of July alone—after more than 1 million people contracted cholera last year. Yemen is experiencing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, as a U.S.-backed, Saudi-led coalition bombing campaign has devastated Yemen’s infrastructure and helped push millions of Yemenis to the brink of famine.
Saudi Arabia Halts Oil Shipments as Yemeni Rebels Attack Tankers
HeadlineJul 26, 2018