Saudi Arabia oil facilities ablaze after drone strikes

[Varun]

Drone attacks have set alight two major oil facilities run by the state-owned company Aramco in Saudi Arabia, state media say.

Footage showed flames and huge palls of smoke over Abqaiq, site of Aramco's largest oil processing plant.

A second drone attack also started fires in the Khurais oilfield to the west. The fires are now under control at both facilities, state media said.

Iran-aligned Houthi fighters in Yemen have been blamed for previous attacks.

However, the Saudi media reports did not say who could be behind the latest attacks.

"At 04:00 (01:00 GMT), the industrial security teams of Aramco started dealing with fires at two of its facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais as a result of... drones," the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

"The two fires have been controlled."

Abqaiq is about 60km (37 miles) south-west of Dhahran in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, while Khurais, some 200km further south-west, has the country's second largest oilfield.

What are the facilities?
The Abqaiq plant turns sour crude into sweet crude, producing up to 7 million barrels a day. Aramco says it is the world's largest "crude oil stabilisation plant".

Saudi security forces foiled an attempt by al-Qaeda to attack the Abqaiq facility with suicide bombers in 2006.

The Khurais oilfield came on line in 2009 and is the nation's second-largest after Ghawar. Khurais reportedly produces 1.5 million barrels a day with estimated recoverable oil reserves of more than 20 billion barrels.

Global oil markets are closed for the weekend so there was no immediate effect on prices.

The attacks come as Aramco prepares for a much-anticipated initial public offering (IPO), part of a reform package led by King Salman's son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to reduce the economy's reliance on oil.

Who could be behind the attacks?
Houthi fighters were blamed for drone attacks on the Shaybah natural gas liquefaction facility last month and on other oil facilities in May.

The Iran-aligned rebel movement is fighting the Yemeni government and a Saudi-led coalition.

Yemen has been at war since 2015, when President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi was forced to flee the capital Sanaa by the Houthis. Saudi Arabia backs President Hadi, and has led a coalition of regional countries against the rebels.

The coalition launches air strikes almost every day, while the Houthis often fire missiles into Saudi Arabia.

However, there are other sources of tension in the region, often stemming from the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Saudi Arabia and the US both blamed Iran for attacks in the Gulf on two oil tankers in June and July, allegations Tehran denied.

In May, four tankers, two of them Saudi-flagged, were damaged by explosions within the UAE's territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman.

Saudi Arabia and then US National Security Adviser John Bolton blamed Iran. Tehran said the accusations were "ridiculous".

Tension in the vital shipping lanes worsened when Iran shot down a US surveillance drone over the Strait of Hormuz in June, leading a month later to the Pentagon announcing the deployment of US troops to Saudi Arabia.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49699429

This is big news. How did the Yemenis fly so far north?

 

[Gabbar Singh]

MBS’s war in Yemen has turned out to be a brilliant success. Saudi Arabia are blessed to have such a strategic mastermind as their crown prince.

100,000 dead Yemenis and counting. And for what?

Meanwhile those who claim to care about human rights and the dignity of the Muslim ummah are silent on his one, I wonder why.

 

[Napa]

MBS’s war in Yemen has turned out to be a brilliant success. Saudi Arabia are blessed to have such a strategic mastermind as their crown prince.

100,000 dead Yemenis and counting. And for what?

Meanwhile those who claim to care about human rights and the dignity of the Muslim ummah are silent on his one, I wonder why.

And don't forget Obama's tactic approval of the war by having the US military provide logistical support to the Saudis in their bombing of Yemen.

 

[Pakpak]

They spend the third largest output when it comes to defence budget, almost a $100 billion and can't control drones which manage to travel the length of their country.

 

[msaaim89]

Glad Pakistan didn't join this mess.

 

[Ronaldo7]

MBS’s war in Yemen has turned out to be a brilliant success. Saudi Arabia are blessed to have such a strategic mastermind as their crown prince.

100,000 dead Yemenis and counting. And for what?

Meanwhile those who claim to care about human rights and the dignity of the Muslim ummah are silent on his one, I wonder why.

Kashmir is a pakistani issue.
Yemen isn't.

Stop taking low blows every two secs

 

[ArendtFan]

Very bad timing for the Saudis. All the big bankers - Goldman Sachs, BOA, JP Morgan, Citigroup etc. landed in Dubai on Sep 13 for underwriting Saudi Aramco's IPO. It took a lot of time and effort to bring them to the table after the Kashoggi fiasco. This would be a great setback for MBS.

 

[Abdullah719]

Saudi oil attacks: US blames Iran for drone strikes on two sites

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has blamed Iran for Saturday's drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities.

He dismissed a claim by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels that they had attacked the two facilities, run by state-owned company Aramco.

Iran's foreign minister accused Mr Pompeo of "deceit".

Saudi Arabia's energy minister said the strikes had reduced crude oil production by 5.7 million barrels a day - about half the kingdom's output.

Correspondents say they could have a significant impact on world oil prices.

The main Saudi stock exchange plummeted 3% on opening on Sunday, before recovering.

Saturday's drone attacks hit Abqaiq, site of Aramco's largest oil processing plant, and the Khurais oilfield.

The Saudis lead a Western-backed military coalition supporting Yemen's government, in opposition to the Houthi rebel movement.

The attacks also come against a backdrop of continuing tension between the US and Iran, following US President Donald Trump's abandonment of a deal limiting Iran's nuclear activities and reinstatement of sanctions.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49705197

 

[warcry]

the only way to resolve the conflict is to give both sides nukes and let them finish each other off. perhaps after both sides witness the horrors of 21st century war, will they get over their religious and political differences.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

And don't forget Obama's tactic approval of the war by having the US military provide logistical support to the Saudis in their bombing of Yemen.

The current US regime are even more vocal supporters of the Saudis if anything. Big boys are at play in this arena.

 

[Gilly]

The current US regime are even more vocal supporters of the Saudis if anything. Big boys are at play in this arena.

Maybe I have it wrong but didnt Imran say that an attack on SA is an attack on Pakistan.

 

[Extra_Cover]

Maybe I have it wrong but didnt Imran say that an attack on SA is an attack on Pakistan.

Not sure about your reference, all I know what Imran said which every Pakistani stands by is that any attack of any kind on holy sites i.e. Makkah and Madina will have immediate consequences and no one can even think about the attack let alone the consequences.

 

[Majestic_Inzi]

Very bad timing for the Saudis. All the big bankers - Goldman Sachs, BOA, JP Morgan, Citigroup etc. landed in Dubai on Sep 13 for underwriting Saudi Aramco's IPO. It took a lot of time and effort to bring them to the table after the Kashoggi fiasco. This would be a great setback for MBS.

Leads me to think was this a inside job to reduce ipo price.

 

[PetroDollars]

looks like a US-Saudi false flag, we'll see many of these leading up to a conflict against iran

 

[Napa]

The current US regime are even more vocal supporters of the Saudis if anything. Big boys are at play in this arena.

You are unable to understand the difference between Obama and Trump. Obama used to do what he thought the Establishment wanted him to do, Trump does what he thinks is right.

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Having failed at "max pressure", <a href="https://twitter.com/SecPompeo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecPompeo</a>'s turning to "max deceit"<br><br>US & its clients are stuck in Yemen because of illusion that weapon superiority will lead to military victory.<br> <br>Blaming Iran won't end disaster. Accepting our April '15 proposal to end war & begin talks may.</p>— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) <a href="https://twitter.com/JZarif/status/1173162202926333952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Ronaldo7]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FLASH?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FLASH</a Aramco, the Saudi Oil Company that was recently attacked, has assessed that its facilities were struck by missiles, not drones - <a href="https://twitter.com/WSJ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WSJ</a></p>— Global: MilitaryInfo (@Global_Mil_Info) <a href="https://twitter.com/Global_Mil_Info/status/1173278383108755457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Ronaldo7]

Looking at Trump's latest tweets, it's looking more likely than before that a Saudi Iran war is on the cards.

 

[abdulqadir786]

Very bad timing for the Saudis. All the big bankers - Goldman Sachs, BOA, JP Morgan, Citigroup etc. landed in Dubai on Sep 13 for underwriting Saudi Aramco's IPO. It took a lot of time and effort to bring them to the table after the Kashoggi fiasco. This would be a great setback for MBS.

Naw, these banks are dying to get a piece of the IPO. I do oil and gas investment banking.

 

[abdulqadir786]

It would actually shoot the valuation up since the oil prices is already rising.

 

[MenInG]

Oil prices up today

Main question is how much will it cost to fix these facilities?

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Saudi Arabia oil supply was attacked. There is reason to believe that we know the culprit, are locked and loaded depending on verification, but are waiting to hear from the Kingdom as to who they believe was the cause of this attack, and under what terms we would proceed!</p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1173368423381962752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

The United States has issued satellite images and cited intelligence to back its claim that Iran was behind attacks on Saudi oil facilities.

Iran denies involvement in Saturday's air attacks, which were claimed by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

But unnamed US officials speaking to US and international media say the direction and extent of the attacks cast doubt on Houthi involvement.

The incident has cut global oil supplies by 5% and prices have soared.

What is the US saying?
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran at the weekend, prompting Tehran to accuse the US of deceit.

Tweeting on Sunday, President Donald Trump stopped short of directly accusing Iran, but suggested possible military action once the perpetrator is known.

Unnamed US officials have been speaking to the New York Times (NYT), ABC and Reuters.

One official said there were 19 points of impact on the targets and the attacks had come from the west and north-west - not Yemen, which lies to the south of Saudi Arabia.

Officials quoted by the New York Times spoke of a mix of drones and cruise missiles that might have been deployed, though not all hit their targets - the Abqaiq processing plant and the Khurais oilfield.

What are the oil markets doing?
The oil price has surged.

Brent crude jumped 10% to $66.28 a barrel, in what Bloomberg describes as the biggest intraday surge since 1988.

Prices eased slightly after President Trump authorised the release of US reserves.

But Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted on Sunday to deride Mr Pompeo, saying that "having failed at max pressure, Sec Pompeo's turning to max deceit".

He was referring to the Trump administration's stated "maximum pressure campaign" which has targeted Iran with sanctions since Washington pulled out of an international agreement to limit the scope of Iran's nuclear programme.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49712417

 

[MenInG]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Tuesday the United States was evaluating evidence on the attacks on Saudi oil facilities and stands read to defend its interests and allies in the Middle East.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was traveling to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Pence said in a speech at the Heritage Institute think tank. If Iran conducted Saturday’s attacks to pressure President Donald Trump to back off his sanctions regime against Tehran, they will fail, Pence said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-global-energy-supply-will-fail-idUSKBN1W21WC

 

[sweep_shot]

I have a feeling Iran will be attacked soon. Signs are there.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

You are unable to understand the difference between Obama and Trump. Obama used to do what he thought the Establishment wanted him to do, Trump does what he thinks is right.

Who made you an authority on Obama's integrity in comparison to Trump's?

 

[KingKhanWC]

Who made you an authority on Obama's integrity in comparison to Trump's?

From 6:30 onwards. Im sure Napa has seen Trumps integrity in this video.

 

[imrankhannsu]

Oil prices going up just when shipping companies are trying to buy compliant oil before 2020 IMO regulations.

 

[Markhor]

You are unable to understand the difference between Obama and Trump. Obama used to do what he thought the Establishment wanted him to do, Trump does what he thinks is right.

Sorry, that is a comical statement based on what we've seen. Trump has no foreign policy ideology - his world view is purely transactional and revolves around selling himself to the highest bidder.

He pulled out of the Iran deal simply because his predecessor negotiated it, moved the US embassy to Jerusalem to placate his evangelical supporters and turned a blind eye to the Khashoggi murdee because of his financial interests in Saudi Arabia.

 

[Abdullah719]

Saudi oil attacks: Drones and missiles launched from Iran - US

The US has reportedly identified locations in Iran from which drones and cruise missiles were launched against major Saudi oil facilities on Saturday.

Senior US officials told media outlets that the locations were in southern Iran, at the northern end of the Gulf.

Saudi air defences did not stop the drones and missiles because they were pointed southwards, to prevent attacks from Yemen, they added.

Iran denies involvement in the attacks, which disrupted global oil supplies.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels said they had launched the drones that struck the Abqaiq oil processing plant, the world's largest, and the Khurais oilfield.

They have launched attacks into Saudi Arabia before, but US officials said on Sunday they believed the drones and missiles did not originate from the south or south-west, and instead were launched from the north or north-west.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has called the attack a reciprocal act by the "Yemeni people".

Oil prices soared 20% after the attacks, at one point reaching $71.95 (£57.53) a barrel. But they have since pared their gains as it appeared market disruption would not be as bad as feared.

On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia's energy minister said he expected production to be fully back online by the end of the month, adding that half the production at the damaged facilities had already been restored.

Brent crude - the international benchmark used by traders - was trading at about $64 (£51.20) after the announcement.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49733558

 

[MenInG]

Saudi Arabia's defence ministry has shown off what it says is wreckage of drones and cruise missiles that prove Iranian involvement in weekend attacks on two oil facilities.

It said 18 drones and seven cruise missiles were fired from a direction that ruled out Yemen as a source.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels had said they were behind the attacks.

Iran has denied any involvement and warned it would retaliate against any military response.

The Saudi defence ministry briefing said the wreckage showed the attacks were launched from the north and were “unquestionably sponsored by Iran”.

However, spokesman Col Turki al-Malki said the Saudis were still "working to know exactly the launch point".

Col Malki showed off what was said to be a delta wing of an Iranian UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) along with other weapons debris.

"Data recovered from the computers [on the UAV] shows it's Iranian," he said.

He said that 18 UAVs had been fired at the Abqaiq oil facility and seven cruise missiles had been launched at both targets. Four cruise missiles struck the Khurais oilfield and the other three fell short of Abqaiq.

Col Malki said the missiles that struck all hit from a northerly direction. He showed video of one UAV hitting Abqaiq, along with maps and photographs of the damage.

He said of the Khurais attack that the "precision impact of the cruise missiles indicate advanced capability beyond the Iran proxy's capacity".

Col Malki said details of the launch points could not yet be given but once they had been determined they would be announced at another conference.

However, he said: "Despite Iran's best efforts to make it appear so, their collaboration with their proxy in the region to create this false narrative is clear."

He called the attacks "an assault on the international community… Those responsible should be held accountable for their actions".

President Donald Trump earlier on Wednesday announced he had instructed the Treasury to "substantially increase US sanctions" on Iran following the attacks.

The scope of any new sanctions was not immediately made clear.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is due in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to meet King Salman's son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to discuss strategy on the issue.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49746645

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">‘AN ALL OUT WAR’ <br><br>Iranian FM Zarif said in response to CNN’s question about the consequences of an American or Saudi military strike on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iran?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Iran</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/JZarif?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JZarif</a> <a href="https://t.co/bJ9OOyyI4u">pic.twitter.com/bJ9OOyyI4u</a></p>— Press TV (@PressTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressTV/status/1174657674132242433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

President Donald Trump says the US has imposed new sanctions on Iran's central bank following Tehran's alleged involvement in last weekend's drone and cruise missile attacks on Saudi oil facilities.

Speaking in the Oval Office during a meeting with Australian prime minister Scott Morrison, the US leader said: "We have just sanctioned the Iranian national bank."

Mr Trump said he expected the penalties to "work" on Iran and preferred that strategy to military action.

He said: "I think the sanctions work. The military would work. That's a very severe form of winning."

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters the bank was Tehran's last source of funds, saying: "We have now cut off all funds to Iran".

Iran 'going to hell' but 'restraint is good'
The president signalled he was not inclined to authorise a military strike on Iran in response to the country's suspected role in Saturday's attacks on the Khurais oil field and Abqaiq oil processing facility - which his secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, described as an "act of war".

Mr Trump said he believed showing restraint "shows far more strength" and he wanted to avoid an all-out war.

He said: "Well these are the strongest sanctions ever put on a country. We are at a level of sanction that is far greater than ever before with respect to Iran. Today we did central bank, as you know and we'll see, we'll see.

"They're having a lot of problems, not only with us, they're having problems within their own country and I think they have a lot of self-made problems."

Iran has denied any involvement in the 14 September attacks on the Saudi Aramco facilities, which shook global oil markets and further heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.

It warned that any retaliatory strike on it by the US or the kingdom would lead to "an all-out war".

The US and Saudi Arabia have accused Iran of launching the attacks, which Yemen Houthi rebels earlier claimed as a response to the Saudi-led war there which has killed tens and thousands of people.

Saudi Arabia claims Iranian cruise missiles and drones were used to attack the kingdom's oil industry and showed journalists the remains of weapons at a news conference earlier this week.

While military spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki did not directly accuse Iran of firing the weapons or launching them from inside Iranian territory, he told journalists: "The attack was launched from the north and was unquestionably sponsored by Iran".

On Friday, Lebanon's Hezbollah warned Saudi Arabia against betting on a war against Iran because it would destroy the country.

He urged Riyadh and the United Arab Emirates to halt the war in Yemen instead of buying more air defences.

In a televised speech, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said: "Your house is made of glass and your economy
is made of glass. Like the glass cities in the UAE".

The US has imposed multiple sanctions on Iran since the administration withdrew in November from the 2015 nuclear deal, with the latest sanctions demonstrating the US is continuing a maximum pressure campaign.

https://news.sky.com/story/trump-sa...-after-drone-attacks-in-saudi-arabia-11815100

 

[MenInG]

The US has announced plans to send forces to Saudi Arabia in the wake of attacks against the country's oil infrastructure.

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told reporters the deployment would be "defensive in nature". Total troop numbers have not yet been decided.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for the attacks against two oil facilities last week.

But the US and Saudi Arabia have both blamed Iran itself.

Earlier on Friday however, President Trump announced "highest level" sanctions against Iran while signalling he wanted to avoid military conflict.

"I think the strong person approach, and the thing that does show strength, would be showing a little bit of restraint," he told reporters in the Oval Office.

The fresh sanctions will focus on Iran's central bank and its sovereign wealth fund, Mr Trump said.

What did the Pentagon say?
Mr Esper made the announcement alongside the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen Joseph Dunford Jr on Friday.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates requested assistance, Mr Esper said. The forces will focus on boosting air and missile defences, and the US will "accelerate the delivery of military equipment" to both nations.

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, left, and Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford made the announcement on Friday
Gen Dunford called the deployment "moderate" and said it would not number in the thousands. He gave no further details about the type of forces to be sent.

According to the New York Times, when reporters asked Mr Esper if military strikes on Iran were still being considered, the defence secretary responded: "That's not where we are right now."

What happened in Saudi Arabia?
Strikes hit the Abqaiq oil facility and the Khurais oil field in Saudi Arabia a week ago, affecting the global oil supply.

On Wednesday, the kingdom's defence ministry showed off what it says are the remains of drones and cruises missiles proving Iranian involvement. The country is however still "working to know exactly the launch point", a spokesman said.


Media captionSaudi Arabia says the direction of the strikes showed the missiles could not have come from Yemen
The US also alleges Iran is responsible. Senior officials have told US media outlets they had evidence the attacks originated in the south of Iran.

Iran has repeatedly denied any role in the strikes, with President Hassan Rouhani calling the attacks a reciprocal act by the "Yemeni people".

"US is in denial if it thinks that Yemeni victims of 4.5 yrs of the worst war crimes wouldn't do all to strike back," Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted.

On Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had called the strikes "an act of war".

Mr Zarif warned on Twitter that Iran had no desire for war but "we will not hesitate to defend ourselves".

What's the background to all this?
The Houthis have repeatedly launched rockets, missiles and drones at populated areas in Saudi Arabia. They are in conflict with a Saudi-led coalition which backs a president who the rebels had forced to flee when the Yemeni conflict escalated in March 2015.

Iran is the regional rival of Saudi Arabia and an opponent of the US, which pulled out of a treaty aimed at limiting Tehran's nuclear programme after Mr Trump took power.

US-Iran tensions have risen markedly this year.

The US said Iran was behind attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf in June and July, as well as on another four in May. Tehran rejected the accusations in both cases.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49777672

 

[MenInG]

Iran is ready to destroy any country that launches an attack on its territory, a senior military official says.

The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned the US and its allies to "be careful and make no mistake."

The comments came shortly after the US announced it was sending troops to support Iran's rival, Saudi Arabia.

The US and Saudi Arabia have blamed Iran for recent attacks on two Saudi oil facilities.

Iran has denied that it was involved in the attacks. Yemen's Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran, have said they were responsible.

Tensions between the US and Iran have escalated since US President Donald Trump abandoned a deal limiting Iran's nuclear activities and reinstated sanctions.

What did Iran say?
"Our readiness to respond to any aggression is definitive," Maj-Gen Hossein Salami told state media on Saturday. "We will never allow a war to enter our land."

"We will pursue any aggressor," he continued. "We will continue until the full destruction of any aggressor."

Maj-Gen Salami, who was speaking at the opening of an exhibition of captured drones in the capital, Tehran, added that "they will hit anybody who crosses" Iranian borders.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are an elite branch of the country's military and have been designated a terrorist organisation by the US.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49781350

 

[Abdullah719]

Saudi Arabia vows to respond to oil attacks with 'necessary measures'

Saudi Arabia says it will respond with "necessary measures" to attacks on two oil facilities as it reiterated the accusation that Iran was behind them.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir said the weapons used were Iranian and vowed to release the full findings of the investigation.

Iran denies involvement in the attacks.

Earlier, a senior Iranian military official said Iran was ready to destroy any aggressor after the US announced it was sending troops to Saudi Arabia.

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have said they were responsible for the drone and missile strikes on 14 September that affected the global oil supply.

Tensions between the US and Iran have escalated since US President Donald Trump abandoned a deal limiting Iran's nuclear activities last year and reinstated sanctions.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49782693

 

[Bewal Express]

This whole thing is so painful to watch, 2 Muslim countries that should be working together to bring peace and prosperity to the region and the world are on the verge of an ego war. We are Muslims, we read the Kalima, and all we do is cause chaos in our lands for greed and vanity.

 

[mgtow]

This whole thing is so painful to watch, 2 Muslim countries that should be working together to bring peace and prosperity to the region and the world are on the verge of an ego war. We are Muslims, we read the Kalima, and all we do is cause chaos in our lands for greed and vanity.

It has nothing to do with Muslim/Islam.

Najd rulers from Saudi Arabia have been traitors from the beginning. They formed Arab regions to betray Ottoman Empire. Then they allegedly handed Palestine to Zionist Jews. Formed a new sects that would undermine the position of Islam and destabilize Middle East through the proxy wars. Worst of all, they built headquarters for Dajjal that is between Makkah and Madina. They are what Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) described as horn of Satan.

Post-revolution Iran is no innocent either. It has history of complicating the Middle East, sold out Afghan Taliban to USA, played vital role for USA to destabilize Iraq. Its new-formed sects is nothing but shirk to deviate from true Islam. Same Iran where 70,000 Jews would rise for Dajjal.

Technically, both Saudi Arabia and Iran are problematic. The world will be better off without them altogether. ALLAHU Alim.

 

[MenInG]

Iran's president has warned that foreign forces are threatening the security of the Gulf, after the US said it was deploying troops to the region.

Hassan Rouhani said foreign forces had always brought "pain and misery" and should not be used in an "arms race".

The US is sending more troops to Saudi Arabia after an attack on Saudi oil facilities both nations blame on Iran.

Mr Rouhani also said Iran would present a new Gulf peace initiative at the United Nations in the coming days.

This year has seen continuing tension between the US and Iran, following President Donald Trump's abandonment of a deal aimed at limiting Iran's nuclear activities in return for the easing of sanctions.

Why Saudi Arabia and Iran are bitter rivals
Who's using armed drones in the Middle East?
The latest flashpoint was caused by drone and missile attacks on the Saudi oil facilities at Abqaiq and Khurais on 14 September.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels said they had carried out the attacks, but both the US and its ally Saudi Arabia - Iran's main regional rival - said Iran was behind them, something Tehran has strongly denied.

What has Mr Rouhani said?
He was speaking on the anniversary of the start of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, and alongside a series of military parades in Tehran and other cities.

"Foreign forces can cause problems and insecurity for our people and for our region," he said in the televised speech.

He called the deployment of such forces in the past a "disaster" and told them to "stay away".

"If they're sincere, then they should not make our region the site of an arms race... The farther you keep yourselves from our region and our nations, the more security there will be."

What about his peace initiative?
The president said it would be presented to the UN, which begins the main part of its general assembly in New York on Tuesday.

However, he gave no details, saying only that peace in the Strait of Hormuz could be achieved "in co-operation with various countries".

Mr Rouhani said Iran was "ready to let go of the past mistakes" made by regional neighbours.

"In this sensitive and important historical moment, we announce to our neighbours, that we extend the hand of friendship and brotherhood to them," he said.

The Houthi rebels in Yemen have also made a peace initiative, saying they would end all attacks on Saudi Arabia provided the kingdom and its allies did the same.

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths said in a statement it was important to "take advantage of this opportunity and move forward with all necessary steps to reduce violence, military escalation and unhelpful rhetoric".

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49785413

 

[Markhor]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...e-of-foreign-powers-in-gulf-raises-insecurity

Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, has said he will present a plan for Gulf security at this week’s UN general assembly, as Washington and Tehran fight for diplomatic advantage in the wake of the devastating attack on the Saudi oil industry.

Devastating ? Strange choice of word for an attack that didn't kill a single soul.

It may have affected a few pocketbooks but "devastating" would be the thousands of Yemeni civilians butchered by the Saudis, and the many more facing a manmade famine.

I hope a few more drones are coming their way, preferably with one on the head of the spolit brat Mr Bone Saw himself. You cannot bombard a country without expecting some blowback in return.

 

[KingKhanWC]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...e-of-foreign-powers-in-gulf-raises-insecurity


Devastating ? Strange choice of word for an attack that didn't kill a single soul.

It may have affected a few pocketbooks but "devastating" would be the thousands of Yemeni civilians butchered by the Saudis, and the many more facing a manmade famine.

I hope a few more drones are coming their way, preferably with one on the head of the spolit brat Mr Bone Saw himself. You cannot bombard a country without expecting some blowback in return.

It was a great chess move imo.

Saudis and Yanks value wealth more than lives. Iran has just told them they can destroy the global economy if they are attacked. Imagine no oil through the strait and majority of Arab oil plants destroyed. When the fat Arabs and fat Americans get hungry only then will they demand an end to this hostile nonsense against Iran.

 

[Slog]

It was a great chess move imo.

Saudis and Yanks value wealth more than lives. Iran has just told them they can destroy the global economy if they are attacked. Imagine no oil through the strait and majority of Arab oil plants destroyed. When the fat Arabs and fat Americans get hungry only then will they demand an end to this hostile nonsense against Iran.

It only hurts Arabs and rest of the world to be honest. Americans at this point are net exporters of crude so don’t rely on Arab oil as much any more

 

[KingKhanWC]

It only hurts Arabs and rest of the world to be honest. Americans at this point are net exporters of crude so don’t rely on Arab oil as much any more

Ive replied to this point before. It doesn't matter how much oil the US has, the global economy will suffer and so will the US economy. After this single attack records levels of rises were seen in crude oil. In any full blown war oil will go above $150 a barrel( or much more) and the world will go into recession inc the US.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pakistan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pakistan</a> Prime Minister <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ImranKhan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ImranKhan</a> strongly denounced attacks on Saudi Aramco’s plants and pledged Pakistan’s full support with <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SaudiArabia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SaudiArabia</a> in confronting these acts of sabotage, after meeting with Saudi Crown Prince <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MuhammadBinSalman?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MuhammadBinSalman</a> in Jeddah. <a href="https://t.co/RYbMU0kMtQ">https://t.co/RYbMU0kMtQ</a></p>— Saudi Gazette (@Saudi_Gazette) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saudi_Gazette/status/1174729870473093121?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has blamed Iran for attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities ahead of a meeting with the country's president, Hassan Rouhani.

Mr Johnson said there was a "very high degree of probability" Iran was behind the drone and missile attacks on two oil facilities, which Tehran denies.

The prime minister declined to rule out military intervention and said sanctions were also a possibility.

The US, which also blames Iran, is sending more troops to Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia has also accused Iran of carrying out the 14 September attacks, in which 18 drones and seven cruise missiles hit an oil field and processing facility.

Speaking on board an RAF Voyager jet on the way to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Mr Johnson gave the UK's first attribution of blame.

He said: "I can tell you that the UK is attributing responsibility with a very high degree of probability to Iran for the Aramco attacks."

Mr Johnson said he would be working with the US and other European countries "to construct a response that tries to de-escalate tensions in the Gulf region".

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility, while Iran itself has denied any involvement. It warned it would retaliate against any attacks after the US announced it was sending troops to Saudi Arabia.

"Clearly if we are asked either by the Saudis or the Americans to have a role then we would consider in what way we could be useful," Mr Johnson said.

'Diplomatic response'
Asked if military action was possible, he said: "We will consider in what way we could be useful if asked and depending on what the exact plan is."

Sanctions also remained on the table, he said.

A Whitehall source said the Houthi rebels' claim of responsibility was "implausible" as the "scale, sophistication and range" of the attack was beyond their capabilities.

The prime minister is attending a joint meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the UN to discuss the attacks, along with Brexit.

Mr Johnson is also due to meet US President Donald Trump, and the two have discussed the need for a "united diplomatic response".

In his meeting with Mr Rouhani, the prime minister said he would also bring up the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and other dual British-Iranian nationals held in Tehran.

Mr Johnson came under severe criticism as foreign secretary after appearing to contradict Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who says she was in Iran visiting family.

She is serving a five-year sentence on spying charges, which she has always denied.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-49792997

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Saudi Arabia's crown prince says war with Iran would devastate world economy and he prefers a non-military solution to latest tensions<a href="https://t.co/NA5FBZvGzM">https://t.co/NA5FBZvGzM</a> <a href="https://t.co/2aXvWh1XW9">pic.twitter.com/2aXvWh1XW9</a></p>— AFP news agency (@AFP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1178495976807358464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

The Pentagon has announced the deployment of thousands of additional troops to "enhance the defence of Saudi Arabia".

US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper says he has authorised the deployment of additional forces, including fighter jets and a defence system.

He said it was in response to "threats in the region", amid efforts to protect the kingdom from "Iranian aggression".

The move comes after an attack on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities in September.

"Taken together with other deployments, this constitutes an additional 3,000 forces that have been extended or authorised within the last month," Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said.

The US has increased the deployment of forces in the region by 14,000 since May, according to CNN. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had requested additional support, Mr Esper said.

The attack on Saudi oil facilities knocked out 5% of global oil supply and sent oil prices soaring. Both Saudi Arabia and the US blame Iran for the incident.

Mohammed bin Salman said: "If the world does not take a strong and firm action to deter Iran, we will see further escalations that will threaten world interests."

Iran has denied allegations it was behind the attack.

However the leaders of France, Germany and the UK said in a joint statement that there was no other plausible explanation for the attacks.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50021138?ocid=socialflow_twitter

 

[MenInG]

Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed that they launched attacks with missiles and drones on Saudi Aramco in the kingdom’s southern Jazan region.

The rebels also targeted Abha and Jazan airports as well as Khamis Mushait base and other key targets inside Saudi Arabia in response to air strikes on Yemen, Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said on television. He didn’t give a date or more details on the attacks. Brent crude futures jumped as much as 1.9% to $60.62 a barrel in London.

Saudi Aramco didn’t immediately respond to a request for confirmation.

Jazan is the site of a 400,000-barrels-a-day Saudi Aramco refinery, but the city, near the border with Yemen, isn’t home to crude oil production facilities or major export terminals. The Jazan refinery and petrochemical complex is expected to be fully operational in the second half of 2020, Aramco said at the time of its initial public offering.

The Iran-backed Houthis have been fighting a Saudi-led military coalition since 2015, a war that has regularly sent tensions in the Gulf soaring. They have repeatedly claimed responsibility for attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia, most notably the Sept. 14 aerial attacks that temporarily paralyzed half of the kingdom’s production capacity. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia, however, said Iran was behind that assault.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...els-claim-they-targeted-saudi-aramco-in-jazan

 

[Babar_Azam_fan]

Yemen's Houthi rebels say more than 30 civilians have been killed in air raids carried out by a Saudi-UAE-led military coalition, with the United Nations confirming the death toll as it deplored a "shocking" failure to protect the war-torn country's unarmed population.

Saturday's air raids in northern al-Jawf province came hours after the Houthis said they had shot down a Saudi fighter jet in the same area with an advanced surface-to-air missile.

"Preliminary field reports indicate that ... as many as 31 civilians were killed and 12 others injured in attacks that hit al-Hayjah area of al-Maslub district in al-Jawf governorate," said a statement from the office of the UN resident coordinator and humanitarian coordinator for Yemen.

The statement said "humanitarian partners" deployed rapid response teams to provide medical assistance to the wounded, many of whom were being transferred to hospitals in al-Jawf, as well as the capital, Sanaa.

'Unjustified tragedy'
The Houthis said women and children were among the dead and wounded in the air raids, while the Western-backed coalition fighting the rebels acknowledged the "possibility of collateral damage" during a "search and rescue operation" at the crash site of the Saudi plane.

A statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency did not specify the fate of the crew of the Tornado jet or the cause of its crash.

Commenting on the killing of the civilians, Lise Grande, the UN's humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, said: "So many people are being killed in Yemen - it's a tragedy and it's unjustified. Under international humanitarian law parties which resort to force are obligated to protect civilians.

"Five years into this conflict and belligerents are still failing to uphold this responsibility . It's shocking."

The Saudi-UAE-led military coalition intervened in Yemen's conflict in 2015 in support of forces loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who had been forced out by the Houthis.

The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, most of them civilians, and created what the UN has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have purchased billions of dollars' worth of weapons from the United States, France and the United Kingdom, and the coalition faces widespread criticism for the high civilian death toll of its bombing campaign.

Since its intervention in the war, nearly 20,500 air raids have been carried out in the country, according to data collected by the Yemen Data Project.

Airports, ports, bridges and roads have all been repeatedly attacked. So have farms, schools, oil and gas facilities, factories and private businesses.

'Perpetrators held to account'
Saturday's attack follows an surge in fighting in northern Yemen that threatens to worsen the war-battered country's humanitarian crisis.

International aid group Save the Children condemned the air raids, saying they showed that the conflict in Yemen was "not slowing down".

"This latest attack must be urgently and independently investigated, and perpetrators held to account," said Xavier Joubert, the charity's country director in Yemen, calling for halting arms sales to the warring parties.

"Those who continue to sell arms to the warring parties must realise that by supplying weapons for this war, they contribute to making atrocities like today's all too common."

Meanwhile, the downing of a fighter jet would mark a setback for a military coalition known for its air superiority and suggest the Houthis' increasingly potent arsenal.

Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's senior political analyst, said it would be a "very significant" development in Yemen's long-running war if it was confirmed that the Houthis had shot down the jet.

"If they would have such a capability of missile batteries or land-to-air capacity against the Saudi air force, that would be a game-changer," he said.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...-uae-led-air-raids-yemen-200215201123271.html

 

[MenInG]

Missiles intercepted above Saudi capital and city of Jazan: state media

Ballistic missiles were intercepted on Saturday in the sky above Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh and the southern city of Jazan, state media reported, citing its own sources and the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.

 

[Yossarian]

Jazan is on the Red Sea and close to the Yemen border, on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula. Can't claim missiles were fired from Iran on this one.

 

[MenInG]

Saudi Arabia's cabinet has condemned Yemen's Houthis for targeting the Saudi capital, Riyadh, with eight armed drones and three ballistic missiles, state news agency SPA said in a statement.

The statement late on Tuesday called the attacks "terroristic acts" that target civilians and threatened the lives of hundreds of people.

At least two large explosions were heard in Riyadh near dawn on Tuesday and smoke billowed into the sky.

The Houthis said they had hit the Saudi defence ministry and a military base, while a Saudi-led military coalition said it had shot a missile down, making no reference to targets.

There was no sign of damage to the side of the defence ministry building that is visible from the main road or to any surrounding buildings. The area was quiet on Tuesday evening, with normal traffic flows and no additional security measures.

The Houthis have repeatedly fired on Saudi Arabia during the conflict, but had not targeted Riyadh since late March, when Saudi Arabia said it shot down a missile and two residents were injured by falling debris.

Violence between the two sides has surged after the expiry last month of the six-week ceasefire prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yemen has been divided between the Saudi-backed government in the south and the Houthi movement based in the north since the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014 and the Saudi-led coalition intervened a few months later in March 2015.

Since then, tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed and millions have been pushed to the brink of famine, in what the United Nations has called "the world's worst humanitarian crisis".

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a televised speech that the group fired several missiles and drones, which "pounded" military headquarters and centres in Riyadh, including the defence ministry and King Salman Air Base.

Sarea said attacks were also launched against military sites in the southern Saudi cities of Najran and Jizan.

Saudi-led coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki also condemned the latest attack on Riyadh saying it was a "deliberate hostile action designed to target civilians".

The coalition had also shot down three missiles headed towards Najran and Jizan and a number of drones, he said.

The conflict in Yemen is largely seen in the region as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...cks-yemen-houthis-riyadh-200624014932234.html

 

[Abdullah719]

Yemen's Houthis say Saudi oil facility hit in overnight attack

Yemen's Houthi rebels say they have attacked a large oil facility in an industrial complex south of the Saudi Arabian city of Jizan as part of an overnight operation.

The Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Houthis said on Monday it intercepted and destroyed four missiles and six bomb-laden drones launched by Houthi rebels towards the kingdom.

The missiles and drones were launched from Yemen's capital Sanaa and directed at civilian targets, coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

The Houthi rebels claim they also killed and injured dozens of ranking military officers in Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis' military spokesman, Yahya Sarea, confirmed in a statement that the rebel group had launched attacks on Saudi military sites.

He said the group's ballistic missiles and drones had destroyed a number of military bases and installations of the Saudi coalition in Jizan, Najran and Assir near the border with Yemen, in a "wide-scale military operation".

"Additionally, the giant oil facility in the Jizan industrial zone. The strike was accurate," he said, adding that they also hit Saudi warplanes and other military targets in the airports of Abha, Jizan and Najran in southwest Saudi Arabia near the Yemen border.

Oil company Saudi Aramco operates a 400,000-barrel-a-day refinery in the Red Sea city of Jizan, which lies around 60 km (40 miles) from the Yemen border.

Aramco did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...ity-hit-overnight-attack-200713082015159.html

 

[Last Monetarist]

U.S. commits to Saudi defence after Houthi attacks on oil heartland

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-saudi/u-s-commits-to-saudi-defence-after-houthi-attacks-on-oil-heartland-idUSKBN2B01CM

The United States said on Monday it is committed to defending Saudi Arabia following drone and missile strikes claimed by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement, including on a Saudi facility vital to oil exports.

Saudi authorities said there were no casualties or property losses from Sunday’s attacks targeting an oil storage yard at Ras Tanura, site of a refinery and the world’s biggest offshore oil loading facility, and a residential compound in Dhahran used by state-controlled oil giant Saudi Aramco.

The attacks, which drove Brent crude prices above $70 a barrel to their highest since January 2020, come at a time of friction in the decades-old alliance between Saudi Arabia and the United States as President Joe Biden puts pressure on Riyadh over its human rights record and the ruinous Yemen war.

“The heinous Houthi assaults on civilians and vital infrastructure demonstrate lack of respect for human life and disregard for peace efforts,” the U.S. embassy in the kingdom said in an Arabic-language Twitter post.

“The United States stands by Saudi Arabia and its people. Our commitment to defend the Kingdom and its security is firm.”

The Houthis have been battling a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen for six years in a conflict largely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Saudi Defence Ministry spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki, who also speaks for the coalition, said on Al Arabiya TV channel that Iran was smuggling missiles and drones to the Houthis. The group and Tehran have in the past rejected such charges.

Riyadh has repeatedly said that Iran’s ballistic missile programme and support for regional proxies including in Yemen should be part of any talks aimed at reviving a nuclear pact with Iran that Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump quit.

The Houthi movement said its operation on Sunday using 14 drones and eight ballistic missiles also attacked military targets in the Saudi cities of Dammam, Asir and Jazan.

The coalition said it destroyed 12 Houthi drones, without specifying locations in the kingdom, and two ballistic missiles launched towards Jazan.

The Saudi defence ministry later said it had intercepted an armed drone coming from the sea before it could hit its target at Ras Tanura. Shrapnel from a ballistic missile fell near the residential compound used by Aramco.

The two sites in the Eastern Province are located on the Gulf coast across from Iran and near Iraq and Bahrain, regional base of the U.S. Navy. Yemen lies nearly 1,000 km (600 miles) southwest on the Gulf of Aden.

Eastern Province has most of Aramco’s production and export facilities. In 2019, Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, was shaken by a big attack on oil installations just a few km (miles) from the facilities targeted on Sunday, which Riyadh blamed on Iran, a charge Tehran denies.

The 2019 attack, which was claimed by the Houthis but which Riyadh said did not originate from Yemen, forced Saudi Arabia to temporarily shut more than half of its crude output.

The United States later sent American troops and military equipment to bolster the kingdom’s air and missile defences.

The Houthis have stepped up attacks as the United States and United Nations are pushing for a truce to revive stalled peace talks. Biden has declared a halt to U.S. support for offensive operations in Yemen but said Washington would continue to help Saudi Arabia defend itself.

On Sunday, the Saudi-led coalition said the Houthis were emboldened after the Biden administration revoked terrorist designations on the group imposed by Trump.

Last week, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on two Houthi military leaders in the first punitive measures against the group by Biden’s administration following the spike in attacks on Saudi cities and battles in Yemen’s Marib region.

The Yemen war has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed millions to the brink of famine. The Houthis, who have controlled the capital since 2014, say they are fighting a corrupt system and foreign aggression.

 

[Last Monetarist]

White House "alarmed" by frequency of attacks targeting Saudi Arabia

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-saudi-whitehouse/white-house-alarmed-by-frequency-of-attacks-targeting-saudi-arabia-idUSKBN2B0253

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Monday that the Biden administration remains alarmed by escalating attacks on Saudi Arabia, and that Saudi Arabia faces “genuine security threats” from Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthi movement and elsewhere in the region.

“We of course continue to work in close cooperation with the Saudis, given the threat,” Psaki told a daily news briefing.

 

[Last Monetarist]

Saudi Arabia to take action to protect oil facilities, foreign minister says

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-russia/saudi-arabia-to-take-action-to-protect-oil-facilities-foreign-minister-says-idUSKBN2B21KJ3

Saudi Arabia will take action to deter attacks on its oil facilities, its foreign minister said on Wednesday, following an attack on the heart of the industry this week by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, speaking at a news conference with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, also said Riyadh would continue to cooperate with Moscow in the OPEC+ framework to ensure oil prices that are fair for producers and consumers.

Oil prices spiked briefly following Sunday’s missile and drone assault on the kingdom, including on an oil storage yard at Ras Tanura, site of a refinery and the world’s biggest offshore oil-loading facility.

Saudi authorities said they foiled the attack with no casualties or serious damage.

“The Kingdom will take the necessary deterrent measures to protect its national capabilities,” the prince said.

He said international efforts to end the conflict in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has been battling the Houthis for six years, must tackle the matter of “Iran providing Houthi militias with advanced weapons including ballistic missiles and armed drones”.

Iran has in the past rejected accusations as has the group, which denies being a puppet of Tehran.

The United States under the administration of President Joe Biden has stepped up diplomacy to end the war but expressed alarm at “genuine security threats” to Saudi Arabia following Sunday’s strikes.

Prince Faisal said the main priority remained an agreement for a permanent ceasefire for Yemen, which has proven elusive despite United Nations peace efforts and talks between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, who control northern Yemen.

Saudi Arabia leads a military coalition that intervened in Yemen in March 2015 after the Houthis ousted the Saudi-backed government from power in the capital Sanaa.

 

[Last Monetarist]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-security-yemen/drone-strike-on-riyadh-oil-refinery-claimed-by-houthis-causes-fire-idUSKBN2BB1CM

An air attack on an oil refinery in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Friday caused a fire that was brought under control, the energy ministry said, after Yemen’s Houthi group said it targeted the site with six drones.

The refinery is operated by state-controlled oil giant Saudi Aramco. The attack, which happened at 6:05 a.m. Saudi time (0305 GMT), did not result in injuries or deaths, and did not disrupt the supply of oil or oil derivatives, the energy ministry said.

The Houthis said earlier in the day that they had hit a facility belonging to Aramco in Riyadh, without specifying the targets they said were hit.

“Our armed forces carried out at dawn today an operation... with six drones which targeted the Aramco company in the capital of the Saudi enemy, Riyadh,” said Yahya Sarea, a Houthi military spokesman.

The energy ministry did not say who had launched the drones, or from where. Aramco did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment but said it would do so “at the earliest opportunity”.

The Iran-aligned Houthis have stepped up attacks into Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, in recent weeks.

Sarea said operations against Saudi Arabia will continue and escalate as long as Saudi “aggression” against Yemen continues.

The Saudi energy ministry said this and other attacks had targeted the security and stability of the world’s energy supply, not just Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia leads a military coalition which intervened in Yemen in March 2015 against Houthi forces, which ousted the internationally-recognised Yemeni government from power in Sanaa in late 2014.

Riyadh says it intercepts most of the drones and missiles which the Houthis say they launch at airports, air bases and energy infrastructure, but some do inflict damage.

On March 7, the coalition said a barrage of drones and missiles had been intercepted en route to targets including an oil storage yard at Ras Tanura, the site of a refinery and the world’s biggest offshore oil-loading facility. A residential compound in Dhahran used by Saudi Aramco was also targeted.

Sarea warned “foreign companies and citizens” to avoid military sites and key infrastructure.

In renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war, the United Nations and United States have urged the Houthis, who are also pressing an offensive against the government-held city of Marib in Yemen, to turn to negotiations rather then military escalation.

 

[MenInG]

Ten people were injured in two explosives-laden drone attacks at King Abdullah airport in the southern Saudi city of Jizan late on Friday and early on Saturday, the Saudi-led coalition said.

The military coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015, backing forces of the ousted government of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and fighting the Iran-aligned Houthi group.

Six Saudis, three Bangladeshi nationals and one Sudanese were injured in the first attack, Saudi state media said, citing a coalition spokesman. Some of the airport's facade windows were shattered in the attack, the spokesman said.

A second explosives-laden drone was intercepted early on Saturday, the coalition said, without giving details on any injuries or damages.

Air traffic in King Abdullah airport was normal, state TV said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility by the Houthis. The group regularly launches drone and missile attacks targeting the gulf kingdom.

DAWN

 

[Last Monetarist]

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/yemens-houthis-say-they-attacked-saudi-cities-aramco-facilities-2021-11-20/

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement said on Saturday it had fired 14 drones at several Saudi Arabian cities, including at Saudi Aramco facilities in Jeddah.

The Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthis in Yemen had on Friday said it destroyed three drones launched towards southern Saudi Arabia and a fourth over Yemen. It said the group "failed to launch two ballistic missiles" and they fell inside Yemen.

Saudi Aramco, the state oil firm, said when contacted by Reuters that it would respond at the earliest opportunity.

The Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a televised press conference that the group had attacked Aramco's refineries in Jeddah as well as military targets in Riyadh, Jeddah, Abha, Jizan and Najran.

Sarea's statement contained inaccuracies. It mentioned the wrong name for the international airport in Jeddah and the wrong location for King Khalid base, saying it was in Riyadh when it is actually in the south of the kingdom.

The Saudi-led coalition said later on Saturday it has attacked 13 targets during a military operation against the Houthis in Yemen.

The operation hit weapons depots, air defence systems and drones' communication systems in Sanaa, Saada, and Marib provinces, the coalition said.

Aramco's refinery in Jeddah was decommissioned in 2017 but it has a petroleum products distribution plant there that the Houthis had previously targeted in March.

The Houthis have repeatedly launched cross border attacks on Saudi Arabia using drones and missiles since the coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 after the movement ousted the Saudi-backed government from the capital, Sanaa.

Efforts led by the United Nations and the United States to engineer a ceasefire in Yemen have stalled.

The conflict, seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, has been in military stalemate for years. The Houthis are pressing an offensive in Marib, the internationally recognised government's last northern stronghold, as well as in other areas in Yemen.

 

[MenInG]

Officials in Saudi Arabia have confirmed that an oil refinery in the kingdom’s capital of Riyadh was targeted using a bomb-laden drone.

An official spokesman at the Ministry of Energy said that the attack took place at around 4.40am on Thursday morning, according to Saudi Press Agency.

The spokesman added that the incident resulted “in a small fire” that has since been extinguished.

He said that no injuries or deaths resulted from the strike. Also, the supply of oil and its derivatives were unaffected by the incident.

He strongly condemned the attack, and said, “The kingdom asserts that such acts of sabotage and terrorism, repeatedly committed against vital installations and civilian facilities, do not target the Kingdom alone, but more broadly the security and stability of energy supply to the world, and thus negatively affecting the global economy.”

The spokesman called on all nations and organisations to stand together against such acts of sabotage and terrorism, and “to stop all groups carrying out or supporting these attacks.” However, the statement did not note the origin of the strike.

Earlier this week, it was reported that coalition forces intercepted and destroyed several drones launched by Yemen’s Houthi militia headed towards Saudi Arabia. The UAE condemned the Houthi militias’ attempt to attack civilians and civilian objects in Saudi. A statement by the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) reiterated the UAE’s “full solidarity with Saudi Arabia over these subversive terrorist attacks and underscored its stance against all threats to the kingdom’s security and stability,” according to state-run news agency WAM. The UAE also underlined its support for all measures taken by Saudi authorities, stressing that the security of the UAE and that of Saudi Arabia “are indivisible and that any threat facing the kingdom is considered a threat to the security and stability of the UAE.”

https://www.msn.com/en-ae/money/new...eted-in-drone-attack/ar-AAUV0Nf?ocid=msedgntp

 

[MenInG]

A Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen unleashed a barrage of airstrikes on the capital and a strategic Red Sea city, officials said on Saturday. At least eight people were killed.

The overnight airstrikes on Sanaa and Hodeida both held by the Houthis came a day after the rebels attacked an oil depot in the Saudi city of Jeddah, their highest-profile assault yet on the kingdom.

Brig Gen Turki al-Malki, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, said the strikes targeted sources of threat to Saudi Arabia, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency or SPA.

He said the coalition intercepted and destroyed two explosives-laden drones early on Saturday. He said the drones were launched from Houthi-held civilian oil facilities in Hodeida, urging civilians to stay away from oil facilities in the city.

Footage circulated online showed flames and plumes of smoke over Sanaa and Hodeida.

Associated Press journalists in the Yemeni capital heard loud explosions that rattled residential buildings there.

The Houthis said the coalition airstrikes hit a power plant, a fuel supply station and the state-run social insurance office in the capital.

A Houthi media office claimed an airstrike hit houses for guards of the social insurance office in Sanaa's Haddah neighbourhood, killing at least eight people and wounding four others, including women and children.

The office shared images it said were from the aftermath of the airstrike. It showed wreckage in the courtyard of a social insurance office with the shattered windows of a nearby multiple-story building.

Hamoud Abbad, a local official with the Houthis in Sanaa, said the facility is located close to a building used by the UN agencies in the capital. He claimed that UN vehicles were seen leaving the area prior the airstrikes.

In Hodeida, the Houthi media office said the coalition hit oil facilities in violation of a 2018 cease-fire deal that ended months of fighting in Hodeida, which handles about 70 per cent of Yemen's commercial and humanitarian imports. The strikes also hit the nearby Port Salif, also on the Red Sea.

Al-Malki, the coalition spokesperson, said it targeted drones being prepared in Hodeida to be launched on the kingdom. He accused the Houthis of using civilian infrastructure, such as Hodeida's ports and the Sanaa airport, to launch attacks on Saudi oil facilities, according to SPA.

A UN mission overseeing the Hodeida deal voiced concern about the airstrikes and urged warring sides to maintain the civilian nature of the ports and avoid damage to civilian infrastructure.

The escalation, which comes on the seventh anniversary of the Saudi-led coalition's intervention in Yemen's war, is likely to complicate efforts by the UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, to reach a humanitarian truce during the holy month of Ramazan in early April.

It comes as the Gulf Cooperation Council plans to host the warring sides for talks late this month. The Houthis, however, have rejected Riyadh the Saudi capital where the GCC is headquartered as a venue for talks, which are expected to include an array of Yemeni factions.

Once again we are seeing civilians bearing the brunt of this conflict which is just getting worse every year, said Erin Hutchinson, Yemen director at the Norwegian Refugee Council, a charity working in Yemen. This escalation is going to do nothing to elevate the hardships that millions are going through.

Yemen's brutal war erupted in 2014 after the Houthis seized Sanaa. Months later, Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a devastating air campaign to dislodge the Houthis and restore the internationally recognised government.

The conflict has, in recent years, become a regional proxy war that has killed more than 150,000 people, including over 14.500 civilians. It also created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.

The Houthis' Friday attack came ahead of a Formula One race in the kingdom on Sunday, raising concerns about Saudi Arabia's ability to defend itself against the Iranian-backed rebels.

Friday's attack targeted the same fuel depot that the Houthis had attacked in recent days, the North Jiddah Bulk Plant that sits just southeast of the city's international airport and is a crucial hub for Muslim pilgrims heading to Makkah.

Satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC analysed by The Associated Press showed one of the two tanks damaged in the Houthi attack on Jeddah still burning late on Saturday morning. Bright red flames leaped up from the tank, with thick black smoke rising from the fire.

The attack appeared to target new tanks, as a tank twice struck by the Houthis just two rows north appeared untouched in the new attack. A tank alongside the burning one appeared to have white wrap and fire-suppressing foam around it.

In Egypt, hundreds of passengers were stranded at Cairo International Airport after their Jeddah-bound flights were cancelled because of the Houthi attack, according to airport officials.

The kingdom's flagship carrier Saudia announced the cancellation of two flights on its website. The two had 456 passengers booked. A third cancelled flight with 146 passengers was operated by the low-cost Saudi airline Flynas.

Some passengers found seats on other Saudi Arabia-bound flights and others were booked into hotels close to the Cairo airport, according to Egyptian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because there were not authorised to brief media.

DAWN