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A large drone attack devastated Saudi Arabia’s largest oil processing facility on July 27, with the kingdom blaming Iraqi armed factions allied to Iran despite the Houthis in Yemen claiming responsibility.
In a statement, the Saudi Ministry of Defense said the drones were shot down over the past several hours before they could reach petroleum facilities in the Eastern Province and the Riyadh region.
The attempted attacks originated from Iraqi territory and were carried out by “Iran-backed terrorist militias,” the statement added.
“Saudi Arabia reserves its legitimate right to defend itself, its territory and critical infrastructure, and retains the right to respond at the appropriate time and place,” the ministry said.
While the ministry didn’t identify the facilities, footage posted to social networks and data from NASA’s FIRMS fire detection system revealed that the attack targeted the Abqaiq Oil Processing Facility, which is owned by Aramco. The facility is the world’s largest crude oil stabilization and processing plant, handling about 7 million barrels per day — roughly 5 to 7 percent of the total global oil supply.
Satellite images from the European Union’s Sentinel-2 indicate that the facility took very heavy damage, with four of its six units hit.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks and stressed the kingdom’s determination “to safeguard its security and sovereignty, deter aggressors, and exercise its right to respond to the sources of the attacks.”
It called on the Iraqi government to take all necessary measures to ensure that Iraqi territory is not used as “a launching point” for attacks against Saudi Arabia.
Despite Saudi Arabia pinning the blame on Iraqi armed factions, the Houthis claimed responsibility for the large drone attack.
Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said that sensitive crude oil supply and transportation sites linking eastern Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea city of Yanbu were targeted. He noted that the attack was carried out in response to what he described as Saudi drone incursions into Yemeni airspace.
A day earlier, the Houthis shot down a Saudi combat drone over the northern Yemeni province of al-Jawf amid clashes with tribes backed by the kingdom.
Tensions have been mounting in Yemen since the Houthis said on July 20 that they were imposing a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia in response to its siege on Yemen. Three days later, the group fired on two Saudi oil tankers, setting one ablaze. And overnight into July 25, the two sides exchanged strikes, with the Houthis hitting a large refinery in the southern Saudi province of Jizan.
The latest attacks will likely lead to further escalation, especially given that Saudi Arabia has accused Iraqi armed factions. The conflict appears set to expand.
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kerboom! the shadies are f….d! the jooz and their goy flunkey trumpty dumpty have opened pandora’s box! the whole world will be really, really grateful to the jooz for screwing everything up!
oh yes! ppl are so thankful for thia bullshit that world turned to.
aramco goes boom and saudis asses are doom! be cause ragtaga have never learn how to rule any country, only income and revenue is from fucking crude and processing oil? no coal mines, no factories, no agriculture, no motor companies, no shipyards, food company, no automobile companies, no nithing.
como a monarquia saudita é totalmente frágil. acusou o iraque dos ataques para desviar a atenção dos ataques houthíes que atingiram os objetivos. ela assim confirmou que não é pária para lutar contra os houthíes.
thought you were pretty cool picking on the houthis maybe now you will stay in your own lane