Over the weekend, Yemen’s Shi’ite Houthis reported that they launched major drone attacks against
Saudi oil and gas fields, setting oil refineries ablaze and also
slowing some energy production on the Arabian Peninsula.
The Houthis confirmed being behind the attacks, as part of years of
Saudi war against them in northern Yemen, saying it was a “response” to
Saudi aggression. The Houthis still control much of northern Yemen
despite the long Saudi-led war against them.
The Houthis have been making some early steps toward drone warfare for awhile, and this seems to be a major step forward in that, both in capabilities and in the Saudis’ inability to stop them.
Despite Saudi Arabia spending the third most of any nation on the planet
on their military, they’ve so far proven ill-prepared to do anything
about Yemeni drones, and as these attacks step up, they will pose a growing danger to Saudi Arabia’s general infrastructure.
These attacks are raising questions as to Saudi air defenses, as the
nation seems to be able to intercept at least some missiles fired by the
Houthis, but have proven unable to prevent drone attacks.
Yemen’s Houthis Attack Saudi Oil and Gas Fields
The rise of drone warfare leaves Saudi infrastructure vulnerable
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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