Middle East attacks on Saudi oil sites in world's most dangerous countries push Brent crude to $99.46
Fighting in the Middle East, including Houthi attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure in some of the world's most dangerous countries, has driven global crude prices toward $100 a barrel while separate conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Nigeria continue with returns of displaced Kurds, government advances in Taiz and renewed militant assaults on Nigerian bases.
Oil prices surge toward $100 on renewed Middle East attacks in most dangerous countries
Global oil prices rose towards $100 per barrel on Tuesday as renewed fighting in the Middle East heightened fears of further disruptions to crude oil supplies. [1] The increase followed attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi group on four cities in southern Saudi Arabia, including targets linked to the country’s state-owned oil company. [1] Brent crude climbed to $99.46 per barrel on Tuesday, its highest level since July 24, before easing to $97 later in the evening. [1] United States West Texas Intermediate crude also rose to its highest level since June 8. [1] The Houthis said they had launched a broad operation deep inside Saudi territory, using drones and missiles to attack targets in Khamis Mushait, Abha, Najran and Jazan. [1] Jazan, a major Red Sea port city, is home to a large refinery and power plant, while other locations targeted in the attacks have oil distribution facilities. [1] According to Reuters, satellite images showed a thick cloud of black smoke over the Jazan refinery and a column of white smoke rising from an oil distribution centre in Abha. [1] Saudi authorities reported fires at the sites and said 73 people were injured in the attacks, including women and children. [1] The attacks represent a significant escalation after a period of relative calm in August and have raised fresh concerns about the security of oil infrastructure and shipping routes across the Middle East. [1]
Houthi operation and Strait of Hormuz tensions
The Houthis control much of Yemen’s populated areas and have previously threatened shipping around the Red Sea. [1] Saudi Arabia has also led an Arab coalition fighting the group in Yemen for more than a decade. [1] The renewed hostilities come as fighting between the United States and Iran has intensified, with both sides exchanging fire and seeking to exert pressure on each other through restrictions on energy and shipping. [1] The Strait of Hormuz has become a major flashpoint in the conflict because of its importance to global oil supplies. [1] The strategic waterway has previously carried about a fifth of global oil, making any prolonged disruption a major concern for consuming nations and energy markets. [1] Washington has been seeking to increase the flow of crude into international markets by guiding ships through the Strait of Hormuz, while simultaneously using a blockade to restrict Iranian oil exports. [1] Iran, however, has announced plans to establish what it described as a “maritime exclusion zone” extending from the perimeter of the US blockade through the Strait of Hormuz and into the Gulf. [1] The ongoing conflict has already contributed to shortages of crude oil and refined petroleum products in some markets. [1] In the United States, the average retail price of diesel has risen to more than $5.90 per gallon, according to the Reuters report. [1] US President Donald Trump, however, said oil prices would fall sharply if the United States won the war with Iran. [1] “Oil prices will drop precipitously, like everything else is dropping (but more!), when we WIN the war with Iran. Three Dollars a gallon, but ultimately, below Two Dollars a gallon. It will all happen quickly, and Iran will never have a Nuclear Weapon,” Trump said on social media. [1] The latest attacks have increased uncertainty in the oil market, with traders closely monitoring developments around Saudi Arabia, Iran and the Strait of Hormuz for signs of further disruptions to global crude supplies. [1]
Kurdish families return to northern Syria after seven years
Around 700 displaced Kurdish families have begun returning to Serekaniye (Sari Kani) in northern Syria seven years after Turkey’s 2019 Peace Spring operation, enabled by a reconciliation agreement and the planned dissolution of the SDF. [2] Turkey launched what it called the “Peace Spring” operation in the area of Serekaniyeh in northeastern Syria in October 2019. [2] Thousands of Kurds had to flee because of the attack. [2] Now, the Kurdish media outlet Rudaw says that Kurds can return. [2] This is a result of the new Syrian government’s policies and a reconciliation and integration agreement between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian government. [2] That agreement began in March 2025 but only really got on track after clashes in January. [2] Now that the SDF is being dissolved, there is an expectation that Syria will be largely unified. [2] During the Syrian civil war, the SDF was backed by the US to fight ISIS. [2] Turkey viewed the SDF as “terrorists” because it claimed the SDF was linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). [2] Ankara claimed that the US was backing a terrorist army on its border. [2] Turkey reacted to this with several invasions of Syria. [2] The goal of Ankara was essentially to block the SDF advance and then roll back Kurdish gains. [2] The victims were Kurdish civilians who had to flee. [2] Ankara began its attacks in 2016 near Manbij and then attacked Afrin in 2018. [2] Serekaniyeh was the final, large operation. [2] Ankara backed Syrian rebel groups it had recruited as proxies, called the SNA, to attack the SDF. [2] Turkey is a member of NATO and a US ally. [2] Instead of Washington or the Pentagon finding a way out of this mess, the fighting was allowed to happen. [2] Serekaniyeh became a large-scale disaster for civilians. [2] Many of the people in this area had already been victims of the ISIS war. [2] They were trying to rebuild their lives in 2019 when the invasion happened. [2] Now Rudaw says “a second convoy carrying around 700 displaced Kurdish families is set to return to their homes in Sari Kani, northeast Syria (Rojava), on Tuesday, as the governor of Hasaka said preparations for their return are underway.” [2] “Preparations are underway for the return of around 700 displaced families from Sari Kani to their villages and homes,” Nour al-Din Ahmed told Rudaw’s Nalin Hassan on Monday. [2] He added that “some of these families will return to the city center under the supervision of a special committee formed to monitor the situation.” [2] Turkey is now returning parts of northern Syria to the Syrian government. [2] This is an important development and comes after Kurds were able to return to Afrin as well. [2] Around 160,000 Kurds had been forced to flee the Turkish invasion there in 2018. [2] Ankara has good ties with the new Syrian government. [2] The first convoy of 410 Kurdish families left the Washokani camp in Hasaka for Sari Kani in mid-August. [2] The Syrian Interim Government provided each family with $10,000 to renovate homes that had been occupied by armed groups. [2] The report noted that some of the families who returned were attacked, apparently by Arabs who were living in the area. [2] “This committee includes representatives from the security forces, the district administration, the leadership team, the governorate, and local organizations,” Ahmed stated to Rudaw. [2] “The Sari Kani internally displaced persons committee announced that 689 families in the Washokani camp are preparing to return to their lands. This decision was made after security guarantees were provided.” [2]
Yemeni government seizes two areas in Taiz
Yemeni government forces announced control of Al-Mihal and Al-Mukazama areas west of Taiz province. [3] Chief of staff of Taiz military axis says army took control of Al-Mihal, Al-Mukazama areas west of Taiz province. [3]
Nigerian military repels ISWAP assault in Borno
The Nigerian military says one soldier sustained an injury during a failed Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) attack on a military base in Pulka, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State. [5] The soldier whose identity was not disclosed sustained gunshot injury to his left arm, and was being treated, according to a statement by Mohammed Goni, the spokesperson for Operation Hadin Kai, a joint task force in the North-east. [5] Mr Goni, a Nigerian Army captain, stated that the terrorists attempted to overrun the military base on Monday, but were resisted by the ground troops, including members of Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF). [5] The ground troops, he said, were assisted by the air component of operation Hadin Kai, which provided Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) during the attack. [5] This coordinated response forced the terrorists to retreat “with casualties.” [5] “As the terrorists attempted to escape following the fierce resistance from ground troops, the air component conducted precision strikes on identified hostile elements, disrupting their withdrawal and further frustrating their efforts to regroup,” Mr Goni said. [5] The military spokesperson added that “military positions across Pulka remained securely under the control of the security forces.” [5] He paid tribute to the members of the CJTF who “played an important supporting role during the operation by providing useful local information and assisting the troops in maintaining situational awareness.” [5] Mr Goni said troops further carried out an “operation” to determine extent of battle damage, recover abandoned weapons, and obtain intelligence that could help track down fleeing terrorists. [5] The military spokesperson said the coordinated response “demonstrated the effectiveness of joint efforts in confronting terrorist threats across the theatre.” [5] “Troops remain firmly deployed and on heightened alert across the area, with aggressive patrols, surveillance and other offensive and defensive operations continuing to deny terrorist elements freedom of movement and action,” he said. [5] “The military will sustain pressure on the terrorists while taking necessary measures to safeguard the lives and property of law-abiding citizens.” [5] He advised the public to remain vigilant and provide credible information to troops. [5]
Nigeria reviews peace policy amid rising defense costs
The world is spending more on war and defense than ever before. [4] Global military expenditure reached a record USD 2.7 trillion in 2024, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), as governments increased spending amid wars in Europe and Western Asia and growing security tensions elsewhere. [4] Africa is part of that trend. [4] Military expenditure on the continent rose by 8.5 percent in 2025 to USD 58.2 billion. [4] Nigeria’s spending rose even more sharply, increasing by 55 percent to USD 2.1 billion, according to SIPRI. [4] Yet for Nigeria, a bigger defense budget has not resolved a problem that has become increasingly dire. [4] The country is confronting insurgency, banditry, mass kidnapping, communal violence, and rising organized crime, with the nature varying significantly from one region to another. [4] Between July 2025 and June 2026, at least 7,825 people were abducted in 1,713 kidnapping-related incidents nationwide, and at least 1,142 people were killed. [4] In July, President Bola Tinubu approved the recruitment of 28,000 additional soldiers and the creation of new army divisions, the latest in a series of moves to expand the country’s security forces. [4] This situation is driving lawmakers to review the country’s National Peace Policy, a framework intended to bring greater coordination to conflict prevention and peacebuilding while addressing some of the conditions that allow violence to take root and recur. [4] Nigeria’s first attempt at a National Peace Policy dates to 2012, when the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) led the process and produced a draft. [4] That policy was never formally adopted or operationalized. [4] With a population of more than 240 million people and hundreds of ethnic and linguistic groups, Nigeria is one of the world’s most diverse societies. [4] Through August, government agencies, peacebuilding organizations, development partners and technical experts met in Abuja and in three geopolitical zones — Kano, Enugu and Lagos — to review the old policy and shape a new one that would connect federal, state and local actors. [4] Chris Ngwodo, director-general of Nigeria's Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE), says the goal is to fold conflict prevention into the country’s broader security architecture and look beyond the visible violence of armed confrontation toward the conditions that produce it. [4] “There are many forms of violence that are not overt violence,” he said, citing structural inequality, failures in the justice system, government neglect and a lack of opportunity as quieter but no less corrosive drivers of conflict. [4] Ngwodo frames the policy around a familiar idea that peace is not merely the absence of conflict but the presence of justice. [4] “Structural violence is invisible. Nobody can see it, but it’s present,” he said. [4] “Subjective violence is what happens when people start fighting.” [4] The new policy, he explained, is meant to address both by anchoring itself in restorative, retributive, and distributive justice and in equalizing opportunity. [4] Asked whether a new policy would solve Nigeria's security problems, Ngwodo didn't hesitate: “It will not.” [4] What the document can do, he argued, is shift the country’s position from reactive firefighting toward predictive architecture by asking not just how to respond to violence, but why certain places are predisposed to it and why it keeps coming back. [4] “People are not fighting because they are inherently violent,” he said. [4] The real drivers, in his account, are usually governance failures, lapses in justice administration, long-standing grievances, neglect, and limited opportunity. [4] At the Abuja meeting, the presidential adviser on homeland security, Maj General Adeyinka Famadewa (Rt), said Nigeria could not “shoot its way out” of its security problem. [4] He added that while military operations
