Posted on 09/15/2019 4:05:31 AM PDT by Zhang Fei
Saudi and American officials are investigating the possibility that attacks on Saudi oil facilities Saturday involved cruise missiles launched from Iraq or Iran, questioning Yemeni rebel claims of responsibility, people familiar with the matter said.
Leaders of the Houthis, the Yemeni rebels whom Saudi Arabia is trying to dislodge from the countrys capital, claimed they sent a squad of drones hundreds of miles into the heart of Saudi Arabia to carry out coordinated attacks on two of the countrys vital energy sites. If true, the attacks marked the most effective and far-reaching drone strikes carried out by outgunned Houthi forces in neighboring Yemen.
But officials around the globe investigating the attack questioned the Houthi claims and suggested the strike may have come from Iraq or Iran, to the north, rather than Yemen, to the south. Iran supports a host of Shiite militias in Iraq.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a tweet that there is no evidence the attacks came from Yemen and accused Tehran of launching an unprecedented attack on the worlds energy supply.
The Saudi Interior Ministry said Saturday that the facilities were hit by a drone attack, an account confirmed by people familiar with the strikes.
But Persian Gulf officials said experts were examining the possibility that the attackers used cruise missiles, either instead of or along with drones.
A strike on Saudi facilities from Iraq isnt without recent precedent.
Earlier this summer, U.S. officials concluded that a May 14 drone attack on Saudi Arabias pipeline was launched from Iraq, not Yemen. At the time, Mr. Pompeo urged Iraqs prime minister to contain the threat posed by Iran-backed forces in the country.
If Tehran carried out the attack directly, it would pose a new national security challenge for President Trump
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
Iran denied it too so what is the point? If it were them it couldn’t make sense to deny because why was it done if not to make a point?
My take is this attack carefully timed with a Bolton-Trump split meaning globalists probably did it to make Bolton look good and to portray Trump for a buffoon for ignoring him.
Compare Federal spending only to defense spending to have a legitimate comparison.
https://www.macrotrends.net/2562/us-crude-oil-production-historical-chart
Additional data. Not trying for conflict but trying to learn
“Saudi Arabia is fully capable of launching a counter attack against Iran.”
This is like two neighbors who hate each other and they both live in glass houses and sit in their front yards with a shotgun. The oil infrastructure, without which their countries can’t survive, is widely dispersed and not defensible. Approximately ninety percent of Iran’s export capability is concentrated on Kharg island which isn’t even reachable by a bridge. A few cruise missiles or a single sortie could beggar Iran. If the Imam’s ordered this attack then they are crazy. Unfortunately, the Revolutionary Guard is essentially independent of government control and probably any commander might have ordered the attack.
Imagine if you took any group of the more militant Freepers and gave us weapons, exposed us to 24/7 propaganda and gave us no clear lines of control. Then, infuse us with the idea that because of our religion we are required to act in the defense of that religion even if our “superiors” won’t. Oh, yeah, there would be smoke all over the place.
[Iran denied it too so what is the point? If it were them it couldnt make sense to deny because why was it done if not to make a point?]
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Globalists!!!
Excellent.....FReepers need to understand the Saudi structure.
That was a broad definition. More likely Saudis themselves.
Do you think most don’t know it already?
It’s long past time to turn Iran into a glass bowl.
Has any info been released on what the attack platforms were and what was the method of attack? Were they attack UASs (”Kamikazes”) or did they deliver bombs. If bombs were they precision guided... Were there any defenses in place and were they used???
Sure! That Nixon thing was just a sideline . . . Yeesh
Another clueless post. The Afghan and Iraq wars were funded by extra appropriations outside the normal Defense budget process and are NOT included in those graphs.
Proxy warfare...as if it never happened before.
JoMa
[Do you think most dont know it already?]
Ahhh, me miss those old flame wars on FR.
Too many posts about Bolton pushing us into war and too many posts idolizing Putin. Iran is the culprit.
I see that you are with Bolton on this one. Trump has another opinion so far. Although it might be used to wag him.
You know Kerry and the other democrats are advising the Iranians to go for it. The democrats are praying for a US/Iranian war.
That Iranian plan you speak of was probably hatched by John Kerry!
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