Houthi strike on Madina power station draws global...

Summary

• A Houthi attack on an electricity distribution station in Saudi Arabia’s Madina triggered a wave of international condemnation on Friday, as the Group of Seven nations moved to ease a worsening global energy crunch by agreeing to release 100 million barrels of oil and fuel reserves over the next four months.
• French President Emmanuel Macron announced after a G7 meeting that member countries agreed to release 100 million barrels of oil within four months in coordination with the International Energy Agency, along with measures to maximize refinery output and avoid restricting energy trade between partner nations.
• In Washington, Trump said a new strategic investment deal with South Korea includes an 8.4 billion dollar oil recovery program aimed at boosting American energy production, though South Korean officials said the project was not actually part of the agreement and that an inquiry had been sent to US counterparts for clarification.

AI Generated Summary

A Houthi attack on an electricity distribution station in Saudi Arabia’s Madina triggered a wave of international condemnation on Friday, as the Group of Seven nations moved to ease a worsening global energy crunch by agreeing to release 100 million barrels of oil and fuel reserves over the next four months.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office called the strike on the facility supplying power to the Holy Prophet’s Mosque a reprehensible attack and a grave provocation against Muslims worldwide, demanding an immediate and unconditional end to what it called reckless actions threatening regional peace, while reaffirming solidarity with Riyadh. Pakistan’s military echoed that condemnation separately at the 277th Corps Commanders’ Conference in Rawalpindi, expressing solidarity with the kingdom and affirming Pakistan’s commitment to the security of the holy sites. Bahrain, Syria and other governments issued similar statements, with Bahrain describing the strike as a violation of the sanctity of Islamic holy sites and Syria calling it a flagrant breach of Saudi sovereignty and international law, both pledging support for Riyadh’s efforts to defend its security.

The attack came as Yemen’s Houthi movement claimed Saudi-led coalition forces launched 94 strikes against Houthi-held territory in the preceding 24 hours alone, asserting that cumulative Saudi strikes have now reached 1,350 since fighting resumed. The competing claims could not be independently verified.