PANews reported on April 8th, citing two sources familiar with the matter, that a vital east-west oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia was attacked by a drone. The pipeline transports crude oil from the Gulf region to the Red Sea for export. This 1,200-kilometer-long pipeline has become the economic lifeline of Saudi Arabia since shipping through the Strait of Hormuz was nearly shut down. The sources said the attack occurred around 1 p.m. local time on Wednesday (around 6 p.m. Beijing time), at one of several pumping stations along the pipeline.