Brent at 4-1/2 month high; US crude up for sixth week

NEW YORK: Oil prices diverged on Friday, with Brent hitting 4-1/2-month highs on continued fighting in Yemen as U.S. crude fell on concerns of another upcoming stock build, though both benchmarks headed toward weekly gains.

Fighting between Yemen's warring factions raged in southern and central parts of the country, and air strikes from a Saudi-led coalition hit Houthi militia forces, creating more tensions over the security of Middle East oil supplies.