(Newswire.net — September 20, 2019) — The Royal Saudi Air Force’s warplanes were involved in targeting pro-Iranian army forces in eastern Syria, a Western source told Independent Arabia.
The source, who spoke on the condition he remain anonymous, said Saudi jets, among other things, had been spotted near bombed facilities and locations of the Iranian army in the city of Al-Bukamal along the Iraqi border.
The airstrikes have destroyed warehouses, rocket launchers and drones that Saudi Arabia thinks Iran used in the attacks on oil facilities, the source added.
Earlier, media reports referred to unidentified drones hovering over Al-Bukamal and surrounding areas controlled by Iranian forces and its allies in eastern Syria.
A senior Saudi official, however, has denied all reports of his country’s involvement in launching air strikes on Iranian forces in Syria.
On Wednesday, the Saudi Defense Ministry organized a press conference to show reporters what it describes as an Iranian cruise missile and a Delta Wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
“The investigation has shown that the Delta Wing drones are the type of drones, and the information from the Ministry indicates that the drones’ technology is Iranian,” said Colonel Turki Al-Maliki, a spokesman for the department.
The attack that destroyed several Saudi oil fields was launched from the north and was undoubtedly sponsored by Iran – he said at a news conference adding:
“We are working to know the exact launch point” the official stated.
On Tuesday, a US official claimed cruise missiles were used in attacks on Saudi oil facilities, and that the attack came from Iran.
On Saturday, a Saudi Aramco oil plant was attacked by a number of armed drones, causing massive explosions and fires at the company’s facility in Abqaiq in the eastern part of the kingdom.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attacks.