Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | International Relations
Why in News?
Yemen’s Houthi militia attacked two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the red sea.
The threat of new front opening up in the US-Iran war came as the US military launched its 12th successive night of strikes.
Iran also attacked Kuwait as well as the other US allies Bahrain and Jordan.
Bab el-Mandeb, at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is the gateway to the Red Sea through which around 12% of the world’s trade usually passes.
East-West Pipeline (Petroline) - Spanning Saudi Arabia, this system has the capacity to transport several million barrels of oil daily from the Eastern Province to the port of Yanbu (city in Saudi Arabia) on the Red Sea.
Saudi Arabia is the world leading crude exporter, producing 10 million barrels per day.
Saudi Arabia leads a coalition against the Houthis and imposed an air and sea blockade on Yemen in 2015.
Yemen's civil war began in 2014 when the rebels seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen and forced the government into exile.
The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, are an Iran-backed, heavily armed political and military organisation in Yemen.
