沙特空襲也門叛軍引發原油市場緊張
The price of oil rose on Thursday as Saudi jets bombed Houthi rebels in the Yemeni capital, raising fears that the civil conflict in the Gulf state could escalate into a regional war.
Saudi Arabia, backed by a 10-country Sunni coalition, launched the air strikes early on Thursday against targets in Houthi-controlled Sana’a, including the airport and a military air base.
在由10個國家組成的遜尼派聯盟的支持下，沙特阿拉伯週四凌晨對胡塞控制的薩那目標（包括機場和空軍基地）發動空襲。The Houthis responded by firing rockets across the northern border into Saudi territory.
作爲迴應，胡塞組織在北部邊境向沙特境內發射了火箭彈。
The Saudi attacks marked a big escalation of the Yemen crisis, in which the Shia Houthis, who are backed by Iran, are fighting to oust the country’s president, Abd Rabbuh Hadi, who is backed by Saudi Arabia and its Sunni allies.
沙特的襲擊標誌着也門危機的一大升級。在這場危機中，伊朗支持的什葉派的胡塞武裝試圖推翻也門總統阿卜杜-拉布•哈迪(Abd Rabbuh Hadi)，而後者得到沙特及其遜尼派盟友的支持。Oil prices rose as much as 6 per cent on Thursday in response to the strikes, though they later fell back slightly. Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose $2.36 to $58.84 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate, the US benchmark, rose $1.62 to $50.83.
空襲發生後，油價週四一度上漲6%，儘管後來略有回落。國際基準布倫特原油(Brent crude)上漲2.36美元，至每桶58.84美元，而美國基準西德克薩斯中質原油(West Texas Intermediate)上漲1.62美元，至每桶50.83美元。The fighting has raised concerns about the vulnerability of the Bab el-Mandeb strait between Yemen and Djibouti, which has been identified by the US Department of Energy as a potential “chokepoint” in the global oil market.
這場戰火引發了人們對於也門和吉布提之間的曼德海峽(Bab el-Mandeb strait)脆弱性的擔憂，美國能源部認爲這裏是全球石油市場一個潛在的“阻塞點”。On average, almost 4m barrels of oil pass daily through the strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea and is only 18 miles wide at its narrowest point. Tankers carrying crude from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq have to pass through it to reach the Suez Canal and Europe.
平均而言，每天有近400萬桶石油通過這一連接紅海與亞丁灣和阿拉伯海的海峽，其最窄處的寬度只有18英里。從沙特、阿聯酋、科威特和伊拉克出發的油輪，必須通過這個海峽才能抵達蘇伊士運河乃至歐洲。But analysts say neither side in the Yemen conflict has the kind of weaponry that would pose a serious threat to tankers in the Bab el-Mandeb.
但分析師們表示，也門衝突雙方都沒有足以對曼德海峽的油輪構成嚴重威脅的那種武器。Richard Mallinson, geopolitical analyst at Energy Aspects, said he doubted the Houthis could carry out a “sustained campaign against shipping”, and also noted there was “no real threat to Saudi territory or oil production”.
Energy Aspects的地緣政治分析師理查德•馬林森(Richard Mallinson)表示，他對胡塞武裝“對航運展開持續攻擊”的能力表示懷疑，並指出，“沙特境內或石油生產並未真正受到威脅”。However, the overnight strikes set the stage for a broader, more direct confrontation between Shia Iran and Saudi Arabia and its Sunni allies in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC).
然而，這波夜間空襲爲什葉派的伊朗與沙特及其遜尼派盟友在海灣合作委員會(GCC)展開更廣泛、更直接的對抗搭起了舞臺。
