US OFFICIALS: EAST-WEST PIPELINE SYSTEM STRUCK. PUMP STATIONS HIT. SAUDI SILENT.

WAR DESK — FILE_UPDATE. The satellite-smoke Extra hardens into a U.S. official strike frame. CNN reports Friday, 11 September 2026, that Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline system — Petroline — was struck by projectiles on Thursday, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter. Extra attributes that CNN ledger. It does not invent a Saudi or Aramco comment, barrels offline, a named culprit beyond the Iraq-origin drone line one official gave CNN, or oil tips. PATH /war/saudi-east-west-pipeline-smoke-sep11. DESK_ID saudi-east-west-pipeline-smoke-sep11.

CNN lock — two officials (ATTRIB). Per CNN Politics (Natasha Bertrand, Zachary Cohen and colleagues; modified ~16:28 GMT 11 Sep): the system was struck Thursday. An early analysis found pump stations next to the pipeline were hit, one official said. Responsibility and whether pipeline sections themselves were damaged were not immediately clear. One official said it was struck by drones originating from Iraq. Repair timing also unclear, sources told CNN. Extra prints those lines as CNN-attributed U.S. official assessment — not independent BDA.

Two US officials: system struck. Pump stations hit. Drones from Iraq — one official. Saudi silent.

Satellite damage stills — real, credited. CNN published Planet Labs frames: Thursday fire and thick black smoke at a pumping station near Al Dhekra; Friday imagery that appears to show extensive fire damage near Al Mesba'ah; plus an Airbus 15 February 2026 before-frame of Al Mesba'ah. CNN also carried EUMETSAT weather-satellite plume imagery from 10 September. Extra ATTRIB those CNN/Planet/Airbus/EUMETSAT captions and does not rehost commercial Planet or Airbus pixels without a license. Hero on disk: NASA Worldview / FIRMS VIIRS thermal + true-color for the Medina–Mahd adh Dhahab corridor, 10 September 2026 — public-domain U.S. government / NASA. Real satellite product. NOT AI. NOT an Aramco press still.

Flare-pit caveat. CNN notes nine large fires near the East-West route Thursday; at least six appeared to correspond to emergency flare pits. That sits beside the pump-station hit analysis. Extra does not invent a multi-point rupture count or barrels offline.

Saudi silence — labeled. CNN: Aramco did not comment; White House did not comment. Earlier Reuters/AA wraps already recorded no immediate Saudi government media-office or Aramco response to smoke in imagery. Extra shelves silence as silence — no invented confirm, deny, or Yanbu throughput claim.

Iraq-drone line — ATTRIB only. One U.S. official told CNN drones originated from Iraq. Culprit not locked. Extra does not invent an IRGC order, a named Iraqi militia shooter, or a Houthi claim that locks this corridor. Analyst colour in the CNN piece stays ATTRIB. Coast-and-islands: /war/houthis-bab-el-mandeb-coast-islands-sep11. Trump–MBS ask declined: /war/trump-rejects-mbs-houthi-strikes. Saildrone / UKMTO: /war/irgc-saildrone-hormuz-ukmto-khasab — ≠ merge. Dual-choke oil: /money/oil-dual-choke-bab-hormuz-iea-sep11 — cross-link OK; ≠ tip oil.

CLAIM vs CONFIRMED. CONFIRMED as CNN ATTRIB (two U.S. officials): East-West system struck by projectiles Thu; early analysis pump stations hit; one official — drones from Iraq; unclear responsibility / pipeline-section damage / repair time; Aramco + White House no comment on CNN record; Planet Labs Al Dhekra fire Thu + Al Mesba'ah extensive damage Fri; Airbus Feb before-frame; EUMETSAT plume; nine fires with ≥6 seeming flare pits. Prior sensor ATTRIB: Reuters smoke vicinity Thu; AA Sentinel-3 Medina–Mahd + NASA FIRMS thermals (FIRMS alone cannot ID fuel/cause). NOT here: invented Saudi/Aramco statement; barrels offline; culprit beyond Iraq-drone ATTRIB; oil tips; Saildrone merge; AI event photo. FALSE framing — do not use: “Nth Meridian names who flew the drones” or “Nth Meridian invents an Aramco outage.” VIDEO=no. Nailed down, 11 September 2026, 18:50 GMT. PATH /war/saudi-east-west-pipeline-smoke-sep11. DESK_ID saudi-east-west-pipeline-smoke-sep11. Beat WAR / EXTRA. PHOTO: NASA Worldview / FIRMS (PD-USGov-NASA); Planet/Airbus damage stills ATTRIB CNN. NTH MERIDIAN does not invent Aramco comments, barrel losses, or culprits beyond ATTRIB.

DESK_ID saudi-east-west-pipeline-smoke-sep11. Canonical /war/saudi-east-west-pipeline-smoke-sep11. Original file 11 September 2026, 16:10 GMT. FILE_UPDATE 11 September 2026, 18:50 GMT — CNN two-US-officials strike + pump-station + Iraq-drone ATTRIB; Planet/Airbus damage stills ATTRIB via CNN; NASA FIRMS PD hero retained. Verification: CNN Politics www.cnn.com/2026/09/11/politics/saudi-arabian-oil-pipeline-hit-by-projectiles-triggering-fires (Natasha Bertrand / Zachary Cohen et al.; Planet Labs Al Dhekra + Al Mesba'ah; Airbus Al Mesba'ah Feb 15 before; EUMETSAT plume); Anadolu Agency CNN wrap aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/saudi-arabias-key-oil-pipeline-hit-by-projectiles-sparking-fires-report/4054705 ; OilPrice.com CNN wrap oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Drone-Strikes-Hit-Saudi-Arabias-Vital-East-West-Oil-Pipeline.html ; prior sensor ledger Reuters via BOE boereport.com/2026/09/11/satellite-imagery-shows-smoke-in-vicinity-of-saudi-arabias-east-west-oil-pipeline/ ; AA FIRMS/Sentinel www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/satellite-data-shows-fire-activity-along-saudi-east-west-oil-pipeline-route/4054536 — verification only, do not republish. Photo: NASA Worldview / FIRMS (VIIRS thermal + true-color) Medina–Mahd adh Dhahab corridor 10 Sep 2026; PD-USGov-NASA; Planet Labs / Airbus damage stills described via CNN ATTRIB, not relicensed for Extra host. Distinct from /war/houthis-bab-el-mandeb-coast-islands-sep11, /war/irgc-saildrone-hormuz-ukmto-khasab, /war/trump-rejects-mbs-houthi-strikes, /money/oil-dual-choke-bab-hormuz-iea-sep11. VIDEO=no. AdSense untouched. No investment advice. NTH MERIDIAN does not invent Aramco comments, barrel losses, or culprits beyond ATTRIB.