Satellite Images Show Damage to Saudi Arabia’s East-West Oil Pipeline

The pipeline was attacked on September 10 | Misbar

Misbar’s team at Al Araby TV analyzed satellite imagery available through the Copernicus Browser platform. Images captured by the Sentinel-3 satellite between September 9 and 12 show damage to Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline following an attack.

Satellite Images Reveal Details of Damage to Saudi Arabia’s East-West Oil Pipeline

Satellite imagery from September 10 shows a large, elongated dark plume resembling rising smoke. The imagery was collected around the time reports emerged that pumping stations along the East-West oil pipeline had been targeted by drones and that fires had broken out at the site. This contrasts with imagery from September 9, which shows no such plume.

Imagery from September 11 and 12 shows that the dark plume was no longer visible, unlike its prominent appearance on September 10.

Copernicus Browser also published new imagery from the Sentinel-2 L2A satellite covering the same site along the East-West oil pipeline between September 7 and 12, providing a before-and-after comparison of the site. The September 7 imagery shows the facility and pumping station in their normal condition, with no visible signs of charring or surface damage.

By contrast, imagery from September 12 clearly shows a large darkened area and a charred zone surrounding the facility following the fire that broke out after the attack.

a large darkened area and a charred zone surrounding the facility following the fire that broke out after the attack. — The image was captured on September 7, 2026

Saudi Arabia Reports Attacks on East-West Oil Pipeline

These developments came after Saudi Arabia announced Friday that several people had been injured and that it had temporarily suspended operations on the East-West oil pipeline as a precaution following multiple attacks targeting the pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted a Ministry of Energy source as saying that the East-West oil pipeline was targeted in several attacks Thursday morning, September 10, in the Riyadh and Medina regions. The attacks caused injuries, and medical care was provided to those affected, the source said.

Emergency response teams and specialized technical crews began work immediately after the attacks, taking the necessary measures to secure the pipeline and assess its condition, the source added.

Meanwhile, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement that drones launched from Iraq had attacked the pipeline, causing injuries and some damage that authorities were working to address.

Iraq condemned the attacks on Saudi Arabia on Friday, stressing that it would “not tolerate” any activity that could jeopardize its relations with friendly and neighboring countries.

In a statement, the Iraqi government said it “condemns the attacks targeting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” and reaffirmed its rejection of any aggression that threatens the kingdom’s security and stability or harms the longstanding relations between the two countries.

Meanwhile, armed factions affiliated with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq denied involvement in the attack in a statement issued Saturday. They expressed “surprise” at what they described as the Iraqi government’s rush to endorse the allegations without relying on credible evidence or concrete investigations.

attack on Saudi pipeline