Brent oil price jumped 1.47% after reports that 10 explosives-laden drones launched by Yemen's Houthi rebel group targeted facilities of Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco.
International benchmark Brent briefly hit $63.88 per barrel after closing Friday at $62.95 a barrel.
American benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was at $60.17 per barrel for a 1.43% rise after it ended the previous session at $59.32 a barrel.
Yemeni rebel forces hit Aramco's refineries in Jeddah and Jubail with 10 drones, as well as sensitive military sites in the Khamis Mushait and Jizan regions with drones and ballistic missiles, the group’s spokesperson Yahya Saree said on Twitter.
“The operation has lasted from yesterday evening until dawn on Monday, the operation has successfully achieved its objectives. The armed forces confirmed that their operations continue and escalate as long as the aggression and siege on Yemen continue,” Saree said.
Saudi Arabia has yet to confirm the attack.
Tensions in the region had also risen after a cyber-attack on Iran’s main nuclear facility on Sunday, which Tehran’s nuclear energy chief described as a terrorist act that required retaliation.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said on Monday that Israel was behind Sunday’s attack on the Natanz nuclear facility near Tehran.
Yemen has been ravaged by violence and instability since 2014, when Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sana’a.
A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises, with 30 million people accounting for 80% of the population needing humanitarian assistance and protection.
By Sibel Morrow
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr