Saudi Arabia drone strikes intercepted near oil sites and Riyadh
Saudi Arabia said it intercepted drones aimed at oil facilities and Riyadh, blaming Iran-backed groups in Iraq amid a US-Iran lull.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
Saudi Arabia drone strikes were intercepted after drones targeted oil facilities in the kingdom’s eastern province and the capital, Riyadh, Saudi officials said. The incidents raise pressure in the Gulf as the United States and Iran pause direct attacks after weeks of fighting.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry attributed the attack to Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq and said the kingdom “reserves the right to respond.” The ministry did not report casualties or damage in the account cited by Al Jazeera and Reuters.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels separately said on Monday that they had attacked Saudi crude oil transport infrastructure. Al Jazeera and Reuters reported that it was not clear whether the Saudi interceptions and the Houthi-claimed operation were linked or separate actions.
Who does Saudi Arabia blame for the drone strikes?
Saudi Arabia blamed armed groups in Iraq that it described as backed by Iran, according to the Foreign Ministry. The Houthis, an Iran-aligned movement in Yemen, issued their own statement saying they had targeted Saudi oil transport infrastructure.
The attacks came during a pause in direct hostilities between Washington and Tehran. Mediators have said the chances of returning to negotiations have improved, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.
US officials have described a shift in approach after two weeks of intense fighting, and Washington has halted strikes on Iran. Iran has also said it has paused attacks on US allies across the Gulf region.
Al Jazeera and Reuters reported that the new drone incidents in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere raised questions about whether Tehran was testing the changed US posture, and whether armed groups believed to be linked to Iran were prepared to stop attacks.
Where else were drones reported on Monday?
Jordan and Iraq also reported drone incidents on Monday. Jordanian officials said Amman shot down two drones, while Iraqi security sources reported strikes on camps in northern Iraq that house Iranian-Kurdish opposition fighters.
Officials did not identify who launched the drones in Jordan or northern Iraq, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. Both Jordan and northern Iraq had been sites where four US service members were killed during the previous two weeks of conflict.
The Houthis later said nine of their fighters had been killed amid rising clashes with Yemeni government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition. The group linked the deaths to military confrontations in recent days.
Saudi Arabia’s eastern province is central to the kingdom’s oil industry, while Riyadh is its political capital. Drone attacks aimed at those areas can carry wider consequences because Saudi energy infrastructure is closely watched by oil markets and governments across the region.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.