Live: Saudi Arabia closes East-West oil pipeline “as a precaution”

Lebanon: the president visits near a strategic site dynamited by Israel

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun visited the town of Nabatiyé in southern Lebanon on Saturday morning, according to official media, near a strategic Hezbollah position that the Israeli army dynamited on Thursday.

The National Information Agency (official Ani) reported the arrival of Joseph Aoun in Nabatiyé, accompanied by security officials.

Arriving on site without his visit having been announced in advance, the Lebanese president expressed his solidarity with residents who welcomed him, according to images broadcast by local media.

Saudi Arabia closes East-West oil pipeline, denounces drone attacks from Iraq

Saudi authorities announced on Friday the temporary closure of the East-West oil pipeline, a crucial crude export route to circumvent the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, after attacks attributed to drones coming from Iraq.

Since the start of the war in the Middle East, Riyadh has increased use of this pipeline, with a capacity of 7 million barrels per day (mb/d), leading to the Red Sea to the west of the Arabian Peninsula.

“The pipeline was closed as a precaution,” an Energy Ministry official was quoted as saying by the official SPA news agency, adding that the attacks left several people injured.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry on Friday condemned “the targeting of the East-West pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions by several drones from Iraq, which caused human injuries and damage which is being repaired.”

The services of the Iraqi Prime Minister, Ali al-Zaïdi, confirmed that the attack came from Iraqi territory and announced on X the dismissal of the commander in charge of the province of Missan.

The Iraqi government condemned the attacks “which targeted the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and (reaffirmed) its rejection of any aggression that undermines the security and stability of the Kingdom”, according to a statement.

Riyadh specified that it had chosen “at the request of the Iraqi Prime Minister” to “not react at this stage and to support the efforts of the Iraqi government (…) to prevent attacks launched from Iraq against the Kingdom and neighboring countries”.

Israel-Lebanon talks planned in Rome postponed until October

The diplomatic discussions initially planned for next week in Rome between Israel and Lebanon have been postponed until October, announced an official from the American diplomacy, mediator of these difficult talks.

The ambassadors of Lebanon and Israel to the United States are still due to meet next week in Washington “to discuss recent developments and the progressive implementation” of the agreement reached between the two countries in June, said this State Department official, on condition of anonymity.

But he clarified that “the next round of formal negotiations will take place in Rome in October”, pushing back a negotiating session initially planned for September.

Israel and Lebanon, still technically in a state of war, signed a framework agreement at the end of June which provides for the deployment of the Lebanese army in “pilot zones” evacuated by Israel – which still occupies part of the south of the country – subject to disarmament of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah.