Saudi's Oil Refinery Attacked by Houthi Rebels

The largest oil refinery in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia, was allegedly attacked by Iranian backed Houthi drones but some fingers are pointing towards Iran. The ammunition used seem to be originated from Iran however, the amount of evidence released by the government is limited.

According to satellite images released by the Saudi government and American analysts, the attack seems to originate in the direction of Iraq or Iran instead of Yemen where the Houthi rebels claim.

Nonetheless, President Trump tweeted the United States are “locked and loaded” to support Saudi Arabia’s military specifically against Iran. However, many criticised the President tweets for unequivocally supporting the same country who protected the people who financed the tragic 9/11 just after the anniversary.

Oil prices increased after the Saudi government reduced oil output by 5% which led to prices 15% higher on Monday evening.

Ironically, Saudi Arabia spent $67.6 billion in 2018 on weapons yet they could not protect arguably their most precious economic facility. The war with Yemen is in the 4th year after the Iranian backed Houthi rebels overthrew the pro-Saudi Arabia government which led to the Saudi military and their coalition partners in a war which led to numerous war crimes.

Unclassified documents show the United States’ planned to invade Saudi Arabia in 1973 after the Saudi government and their counterparts reduced oil output to punish the West for supporting Israel in the Yom Kippur War. However, the plan did not go underway after oil output was resumed normally but this showed the importance of securing a steady supply of oil.

Some sceptics question the nature and timing of the attack after the last attack on the oil facility was foiled when Al Qaeda in 2006 but led to a global outcry. Yet, Saudi Aramco, a state-owned company, hires a private security firm to protect their prized possession.

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