Houthi Missile and Drone Attacks on Saudi Arabia Send Brent Crude Surging to $108 Intraday, Settling Up 3.4% at $106.60

Yemen's Houthis claimed missile and drone strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities at the Red Sea export hub of Yanbu and a 'sensitive target' in Riyadh on Sep 24. The Saudi-led coalition said its air defenses intercepted six ballistic missiles aimed at Taif and Yanbu, while a Greek Patriot battery stationed near Yanbu shot down an additional missile and drone. Oil markets reacted immediately: Brent crude, which had slid to $98.44 on Sep 23 after Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline restart, spiked as high as $108.23 intraday before settling up 3.4% at $106.60/bbl -- reversing two days of de-escalation gains -- with WTI following a similar path. The move underscored that Gulf export infrastructure remains vulnerable even as US-Iran diplomacy continued on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.