Employees visit the Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) facility at Saudi Aramco's Shaybah oil field in the Rub' Al-Khali desert, also known as the 'Empty Quarter,' in Shaybah, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018.
Oil prices edged down slightly on Tuesday after gaining more than 4% in the previous session as markets weighed the potential for supply disruptions as the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continued.
While Israel produces very little crude oil, markets worried that if the conflict escalates it could hurt Middle East supply and worsen an expected deficit for the rest of the year.
Israel's port of Ashkelon and its oil terminal have been shut in the wake of the conflict, sources said on Monday.
The turmoil may also cause U.S. to tighten its sanctions on Iran and hurt export of Iranian oil, analysts said.
Persons:
Brent, Israel
Organizations:
Hamas, U.S, West Texas
Locations:
Saudi, Shaybah, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, Ashkelon, Iran, United States, Venezuela, Caracas