Oil prices jump after Yemen’s Houthis claim attacks on Saudi facilities

Oil prices have jumped following renewed attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, including claimed strikes on facilities belonging to state-run energy giant Aramco.

Brent crude, the key yardstick of global prices, rose more than 3 percent on Thursday as the attacks stoked fears of additional disruption to energy supplies already facing constraints due to the US-Israel war on Iran.

Brent futures for November ended the day above $106.50 a barrel on Thursday, after earlier exceeding $108.

Prices eased slightly on Friday morning in Asia, with the benchmark standing at $105.77 a barrel as of 02:00 GMT.

The Houthis on Thursday said they had launched missile and drone attacks on a “sensitive target” in Riyadh and Aramco facilities in the Red Sea city of Yanbu.

The rebel group said both operations “achieved their objectives successfully” in a statement carried by the Houthi-run Yemen News Agency.

Saudi-led coalition forces said earlier that they intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis towards the kingdom.

Saudi authorities have not confirmed whether the attacks caused any damage or casualties.