Oil climbs over $1 on more Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia

Oil prices rose more than $1 a barrel on Thursday after more Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia stoked concerns over a broader escalation of conflict and further ‌disruptions to supplies from the Middle East.

Brent crude futures rose $1.93, or 1.77%, to $110.75 a barrel at ‌0442 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude gained $1.43, or 1.47%, to $98.58. Brent had settled largely unchanged on Wednesday, while WTI had eased 67 ​cents.

"Oil prices remain well bid, with ICE Brent back above $110 per barrel this morning following additional deadly attacks on Saudi Arabia," ING analysts said in a note on Thursday.

The US State Department plans to withdraw family members from a number of other US missions in the region, US officials told Reuters.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis struck several targets on Wednesday with at ‌least one person killed and eight more ⁠wounded at a civilian airport in Dammam, and two people killed in a drone attack on a Saudi oil field.

Explosions were also heard in Sirik in southern Iran, Iranian media ⁠reported on Wednesday, saying the nature and origin of the explosions were unknown.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said on Thursday that four vessels involved in illegal oil transfers in the northern Persian Gulf were simultaneously hit and caught fire after ​being tracked ​by its forces on Wednesday.

The IRGC added that three more ​vessels collided with mines west of the Strait ‌of Hormuz, and warned the US military that continued provocations could lead to a wider response against its regional bases.