Houthi Rebels Claim Responsibility for Drone Attacks on Saudi Aramco Oil Facilities

September 14, 2019 (Delhi Magazine): Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for drone attacks on two major oil facilities belonging to Saudi Aramco, one of the world’s largest oil companies, on Saturday, September 14, 2019. The attacks caused fires at the facilities and disrupted a significant portion of Saudi Arabia’s crude oil production.

The targeted facilities were located at Abqaiq and Khurais in eastern Saudi Arabia. The Houthi group announced that it had used 10 drones to carry out the attacks.

Saudi Arabia has faced repeated drone and missile attacks claimed by Houthi rebels during its ongoing conflict with the group in Yemen. However, the September 14 attacks were particularly significant because they struck important facilities responsible for processing and producing the country’s crude oil.

Drone Attacks Took Place Early on Saturday Morning

According to Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry, the attacks took place at approximately 4 a.m. local time. Drones targeted Saudi Aramco’s Abqaiq oil-processing facility and Khurais oil field, triggering fires at both locations.

Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that industrial security teams immediately responded to the incidents and managed to bring the fires under control.

The attacks caused significant damage to Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure and temporarily interrupted production operations. Smoke was seen rising from the affected facilities following the explosions.

Saudi Arabia’s Oil Production Falls by 5.7 Million Barrels per Day

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said the attacks had temporarily disrupted the production of approximately 5.7 million barrels of crude oil per day.

This represented around 50 per cent of Saudi Aramco’s production and approximately 5 per cent of global oil supply at the time.

The Abqaiq facility is particularly important because it processes large quantities of crude oil before it is transported to domestic and international markets. Any disruption to its operations can therefore have a major impact on global energy supplies.

Saudi Arabia said it would use its oil reserves to compensate customers for some of the lost production while restoration work continued.

Saudi Aramco CEO Confirms Employees Are Safe

Saudi Aramco President and CEO Amin H. Nasser confirmed that the company’s emergency response teams had successfully contained the fires at both facilities.

He said there were no injuries among employees and thanked the emergency crews for their quick response.

Nasser also stated that the company was working to restore production as quickly as possible. Saudi Aramco subsequently announced that it expected to restore its full production capacity by the end of September 2019.

United States Blames Iran for the Attacks

Meanwhile, the United States blamed Iran for the attacks on Saudi Aramco’s oil facilities.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said there was no evidence that the attacks had originated from Yemen, despite the Houthi rebels claiming responsibility. He accused Iran of carrying out an unprecedented attack on the world’s energy supply.

Saudi Arabia had also accused Iran of supporting and supplying weapons to the Houthi movement. Iran rejected the allegations and denied responsibility for the September 14 attacks.

The Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran, maintained that their forces had carried out the operation using 10 drones. However, responsibility for the attack remained disputed, with the United States and Saudi Arabia pointing towards Iran.

Previous Terrorist Attack Attempt at the Abqaiq Oil Facility

The Abqaiq oil-processing facility had also been targeted in February 2006, when suspected Al-Qaeda militants attempted to attack the installation using explosives-laden vehicles.

Saudi security forces prevented the attackers from entering the facility, and the incident did not disrupt oil production. Al-Qaeda subsequently claimed responsibility for the failed attack.

The September 2019 drone strikes once again highlighted the vulnerability of important oil installations in the Middle East and raised concerns about the security of global energy supplies.

The attacks also increased tensions between Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United States, while creating uncertainty in international crude oil markets.