Coalition: Evidence indicates Iranian arms used in Saudi attack

RIYADH — The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen said that preliminary investigations indicated that the weapons used in the attacks on two Saudi Aramco oil facilities are Iranian.

The Coalition spokesperson Col. Turki Al-Maliki said that an investigation into Saturday's strikes, which had been claimed by the Iran-aligned Houthi group, was still going on to determine the launch location. The drones used in the attack were of the Ababil make, a low-technology drone, the spokesperson added.

“The investigation is continuing and all indications are that weapons used in both attacks came from Iran,” Al-Maliki told reporters here, adding they were now probing “from where thbey were fired.”

"The preliminary results show that the weapons are Iranian and we are currently working to determine the location ... The terrorist attack did not originate from Yemen as the Houthi militia claimed," Al-Maliki added.

Al-Maliki said on Monday that the coalition has the ability to confront attacks, and defend vital oil facilities, and the results of the investigation would be made public to the media when complete.

Al-Maliki said the Gulf state was capable of protecting vital energy and economic sites. "This cowardly act largely targets the global economy and not Saudi Arabia."

Saturday's attacks hit Saudi Aramco oil facilities in Abqaiq and Hijrat Khurais in Saudi Arabia.

Al-Maliki's comments come a day after US President Donald Trump said that the US knows who was behind the attacks and is “locked and loaded,” but is waiting for verification and for a Saudi assessment of responsibility before deciding how to proceed.

The scope and precision of drone attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities show they were launched from a west-northwest direction rather than from Yemen to the south, where Houthi rebels claimed responsibility, added senior US administration officials on Sunday.

US officials pointed to satellite imagery showing 19 points of impact on the oil facilities. The attacks on Saturday risk disruptions to the world’s oil supplies. — Agencies

When Hillary Clinton has the same standard of the law applied to her as lets say that navy submariner who took a picture of his bunk bed.

I don't think any American's should fight to maintain this status quo. Two levels of justice, access and what not. Its a whole lot of Baloney - we should fight to defend the corrupt deep state uniparty by attacking Iran because Iran attacked Saudi Arabia - just when we've pretty much become energy independent. Yeah I guess I just don't care that region has been noting but a source of avoidable trouble for the US for a long time. Now we've spent trillions, lost thousands of lives and killed hundreds of thousands. The mideast is Kafkaesque nightmare.

We've sold the Saudi's lots of weapons over the years perhaps they should use some of them.

Tough to say over the years who is responsible for more terrorism Iran directly or Saudi Arabia with its funding of madrasas through out the world - oh and 9/11.

The Saudis spend billions and billions acquiring arms, mostly from US arms manufacturers. This includes defense equipment. How come they failed so completely in defending their most important oil installations? Why is that?

First, they have far more important installations. These two facilities are a fraction of what they have. Second, I think they lacked imagination.

I posted this on another thread:

You are able to discern the difference in severity of the situation had these missiles been fired from Iranian territory correct? The Saudi’s bomb Yemen all the time, that’s not an escalation.

Go to google earth and study Saudi Arabia (SA) and the surrounding geography. I am intimately aware of both the Khurais and Abqaiq GOSPS. There are multiple in each field. I have been to each one and the surrounding fields.

The Yemen and Saudi boarder is porous.

Look for the old Riyadh highway from Khurais to Hofuf and then Abqaiq. I know the attacks came from the west northwest. I have commented on it in other threads. Khurais is remote with some SA air assets in the area. Beyond that it is easy for Iranian "boots on the ground" to attack both facilities and then disappear with logistical support from the Houthis and potentially tribal support in Hofuf.

The NG tanks were low hanging fruit, however ingenious. It did not take sophisticated weapons to penetrate a pressurize vessel and ignite the gas. SA at one time flared all the gas until they began gathering it for desalination, electric power and export via a new parallel NG line in the east west pipeline corridor to Yanbu. We'll never know, however I would not be surprised that internal security was lax and unimaginative.

SA can easily start production again by flaring it. The flares are still there. The repairs will take place quickly. Anyone that has worked in Kingdom with Aramco knows this.

The "missiles" could have been fired from Iranian territory, however I believe Iran launched them in country with the help of the Houthis. Either way it is till Iran. Launched from Iran or smuggled into Hofuf. The attack on Khurais was the biggest tell. I don't expect the US or SA to reveal all of their intel. I do expect to see a lot of beheadings in the coming months.

Launched from within SA by Iran would be a major escalation. I can understand why they don't want the real truth to come out if that is the case.

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